Fantasy football prank triggers kidnapping alert on college campus

A late-night alert about a possible kidnapping at UC Berkeley turned out to be a prank. Police discovered it was actually a group of students carrying out a punishment related to their fantasy football league.

Early Wednesday morning, UC Berkeley police released a crime alert. A witness reported seeing a group of 8 to 10 young men, believed to be college students, carrying someone into a cargo van close to Stephens Hall just before midnight.

About an hour after it happened, a witness reported the incident, leading the university to issue a warning about a potential kidnapping and assault on campus.

In an alert first sent out at 2:10 a.m., the University of Chicago Police Department stated they were searching for the victim and didn’t have much information about those involved. The report didn’t say if the person forced into the van was a student.

Student later clarified the “kidnapping” was a fantasy football stunt

The Berkeley Scanner reports that UCPD released more information Wednesday afternoon after interviewing those involved. Police stated the witness described hearing giggling and laughter, not any sounds suggesting someone was in trouble.

Around 1:40 p.m., the student who had been brought to the police station in a van went inside to explain what happened. Police confirmed it was all a harmless prank related to their fantasy football league, and no crime was committed.

UC Berkeley police confirmed the initial witness did the right thing by reporting their observations, despite the situation ultimately being a simple mistake.

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2025-11-30 19:49