Worcester, Mass. – Five Massachusetts college students from Assumption University were arraigned on conspiracy and kidnapping charges after allegedly luring a man to campus through a dating app and accusing him of being a predator as part of a TikTok trend. The defendants, all teenagers, entered not guilty pleas and are scheduled to appear in court again on March 28. The incident involved an active-duty military service member who was targeted by the students after meeting a woman on Tinder who invited him over. He was then confronted by a group of people who accused him of being a pedophile and chased him to his car, where he was assaulted.
The students reportedly staged the event inspired by a TikTok trend called “catch a predator.” Campus surveillance footage showed the group recording the incident and laughing, indicating that it was a premeditated act. The man was falsely accused of seeking relationships with underage girls, as there was no evidence to support these claims. The police concluded that the entire incident was orchestrated by the students and the accusations made against the man were false.
The defendants’ lawyers maintain their clients’ innocence and are seeking to have the charges dismissed, claiming that there is no probable cause to believe they committed a crime. The students were ordered not to have any contact with the targeted man. The case has sparked outrage and raised concerns about the influence of social media trends on young people’s behavior.
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