Teen Engineer’s Fake Sea Rescue Sparks Major Police Operation
A 19-year-old TikTok prankster from Blackpool has been slammed for triggering a massive sea rescue by faking an emergency. Kian King, of St Chads Road, pleaded guilty yesterday at Lancaster Magistrates’ Court to wasting police time.
90-Minute Rescue Blitz Wrecked by Hoax
In the early hours of January 13, emergency crews were scrambled to Blackpool Promenade after reports of someone in trouble near the RNLI lifeboat station. The frantic, 90-minute operation saw rough seas and huge manpower deployed, including:
- 12 volunteer officers from HM Coastguard Fleetwood
- 19 Blackpool RNLI volunteers with two lifeboats
- Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service
- North West Ambulance Service
- Two Search and Rescue helicopters
TikTok Live Stream Unmasks the Sham
King wasn’t just playing dumb — he live-streamed the whole sham rescue on TikTok. After a thorough search, officials discovered it was all a stunt to rack up social media views. Police arrested King on the Promenade shortly after 3:45 AM.
Locked Up and Facing Court
Now behind bars, King will remain in custody for three weeks before a bail hearing at Preston Magistrates Court on February 4. His sentencing is set for February 18, 2026, at Lancaster Magistrates Court.
“After around 90 minutes of searching, it transpired this was a hoax call thought to have been linked to an attempt to boost engagement on a social media account,” a police spokesperson said, slamming the reckless stunt for wasting critical, life-saving resources.
