Florida girl arrested, 11-year-old thought it 'would be funny' to send police on massive search over hoax kidnapping inspired by YouTube challenge

An 11-year-old Florida girl has been arrested for sending police on a massive search operation for a hoax kidnapping. The girl said her actions were a prank inspired by a social media challenge.

An 11-year-old girl from Port Orange reported to police via text message around 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday that her 14-year-old friend had been kidnapped by an armed man driving a white van going south on I-95 in Oak Hill, according to authorities. The girl allegedly told police that she was following the van in a blue Jeep and emphasized that the suspect was armed with a gun.

A massive search operation was launched, including deputies from the Volusia Sheriff's Office and officers from Edgewater, New Smyrna Beach, and Port Orange police. To locate the kidnapped child, the Volusia Sheriff's Office also dispatched Air One – the department's aviation unit. However, no white van was spotted during the search mission.

Authorities tracked the cell phone that reported the kidnapping to a home in Port Orange. At 10:23 a.m., deputies from the Volusia Sheriff's Office went to question an 11-year-old girl regarding the 911 text about the supposed kidnapping.

"As deputies approached the girl, she was holding her cell phone, which was ringing as she walked out to meet the deputies. When answered, Volusia Sheriff’s Dispatch was on the line and deputies verified they were on scene," the Volusia Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

Police bodycam video shows a deputy telling the girl, "If you do something stupid in the future, you're gonna enjoy those cuffs."

The girl tells officers, "I'm not gonna do this again."

Another deputy adds, "You know, this is gonna be an opportunity for you to turn this into a learning experience. This is not something you're gonna carry with you for the rest of your life."

The girl reportedly told officers that the kidnapping hoax was based on a prank she had seen on a YouTube challenge. The girl allegedly told officers that she thought "it would be funny."

Sheriff Mike Chitwood didn't see the humor in the hoax.

"This kind of prank activity is dangerous – we're going to investigate every incident, but today it wasted valuable resources that might have helped someone else who legitimately needed our help," Chitwood said.

The girl was arrested and hit with a felony charge of making a false police report concerning the use of a firearm in a violent manner and a misdemeanor charge of misusing 911.

The girl was taken to the Family Resource Center for processing, then transferred to the Volusia Regional Juvenile Detention Center.

The minimum age to prosecute a minor in Florida is 7, according to the National Juvenile Justice Network.

There were reportedly three swatting incidents in Volusia County in the past week.

The Volusia Sheriff’s Office is hosting several community forums next week to help parents protect their kids from internet dangers.

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