Miami Police Respond to Viral Mall 'Alien' Video

Police have released a statement to allay fears of an alien invasion in Florida—after a video of a Miami crime scene went viral, with viewers claiming an extraterrestrial had been captured on film.

Blurry aerial footage of a massive police presence surrounding the Bayside Marketplace outdoor-mall last Monday night racked up millions of views throughout the week, as social media users claimed a 10-foot tall gray alien could be seen walking around between the dozens of squad cars.

Police said at the time that they were at the scene to apprehend juveniles who were throwing fireworks at each other and looting stores. But several internet users claimed something else was going on.

One account on X (formerly Twitter) claimed the footage showed "10ft Aliens/Creatures," while another added: "I zoomed in on one of the tiktok videos about the Miami mall creature, so you can see the gray creature walking in between these police cars and the building."

On Friday evening, Miami Police Department (MPD) decided to release its own video. A statement addressing the incident was uploaded to the force's Instagram page.

Seated at a desk, MPD Officer Rafael Horta addressed the camera to cheerfully deny that a mysterious visitor from outer space had been walking among the officers at the scene. His comments would have a comical twist at the end for those who watched all the way through.

"Alright guys," he began. "So, just to address a few clips that are going viral on social media right now. First, our response to that big incident on Bayside Marketplace. What happened was there was about 50 or more juveniles that were shooting fireworks at people. There was also some looting going on, so officers that were on that scene were having a little bit of trouble containing it."

"So they called what is called the 'citywide three,' which every officer in the city responded. That's why you saw so much police presence for that call to contain that crowd.

"Now, there is now video going viral of eight to 10 foot aliens walking around Bayside. It's actually just a person walking with a shadow. So I can confirm to you all here today, right now, that there are no aliens in Miami, in Bayside Marketplace, at the moment."

He then went on to wish everybody a great weekend, when a computer-generated alien appeared next to him accompanied by creepy music. Horta slowly turns to face the bug-eyed gray alien, who waves at the camera.

The police's tongue-in-cheek clip doesn't seem to have reassured everybody. In fact, some internet users claimed it was evidence of a "cover up" and doubled down on the alien theories.

Many of the replies to Horta's Instagram post demanded further answers. One wrote they had heard that planes were grounded during the incident (something the police previously denied), while another said: "Where are the videos of the 50 kids shooting fireworks? Release that please."

But not all corners of the internet bought the alien theories. Several pointed out that observing the ground at the base of the "alien" shows it's a regular human being, with a long shadow cast by the various lights as they walk around the scene.

With regards to the mall incident, MPD said that two male teenagers, aged 15, are facing charges of burglary, third-degree grand theft, battery and resisting an officer without violence. Two other arrested teens, aged 14 and 16, were charged with resisting an officer without violence.