Florida man arrested after trying to stay inside Walmart overnight for TikTok challenge

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A man in Florida was arrested for trying to spend the night inside a Walmart as part of a TikTok challenge he was broadcasting live. He was hoping to get views on the video.

So, there was this crazy thing that happened to me while I was at the Walmart in Englewood, Florida on January 13th. Apparently, someone was livestreaming on TikTok while trying to break into the store, and the police showed up because of it. It all went down pretty late at night.

Around 11 p.m., the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office sent deputies to the local Walmart after receiving a report of a man remaining inside after the store had closed.

Deputies find man live-streaming inside closed store

When deputies went into the store, they found Isaac Matthew Hurley, the suspect, in the dog bed area. He was broadcasting live on TikTok at the time.

Investigators found that Hurley went into the store around 10:15 pm with the intention of staying there all night for a TikTok challenge. According to deputies, Hurley explained he hoped to make money based on how many people watched his livestream.

While investigating, deputies discovered Hurley had opened an iPhone charger package while still in the store. He was arrested at the scene and now faces charges of burglary and petty theft related to the charger.

Sheriff Bill Prummell expressed concern about the popularity of dangerous social media challenges. He pointed out that these challenges often lead people to break the law, citing examples like the ‘kicking in the front door’ trend and past incidents of vandalism. He’s particularly worried that young people are getting involved and facing serious consequences.

It’s frustrating that so many online challenges focus on negativity instead of positive change. Think about how much good we could achieve if we inspired a generation to do things that actually benefit the world. Right now, it feels like we’re too focused on punishing people for harmless mistakes, all for the sake of online attention. It’s really disappointing.

This incident follows closely after a 19-year-old TikTok creator was arrested for falsely reporting an emergency to police and firefighters, reportedly to get more views on TikTok.

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2026-01-19 18:18