Influencer Arrested After Series of Viral Pranks Disrupt Local Businesses By Luke Chinman

Police have arrested an Arizona-based influencer for orchestrating a series of pranks on local businesses.

Heston Cobb — a 21-year-old content creator known by his 1.6 million TikTok followers as “Heston James” — was arrested at his home on Wednesday, July 23, according to a statement made by the Tempe Police Department.

Police said that businesses in Tempe, Ariz., have reported numerous instances of groups of men entering their stores dressed as employees and refusing to leave when asked. Detectives linked these cases to a series of viral prank videos uploaded to social media by Cobb, who has 1.6 million followers on TikTok, per the statement.

On July 4, Cobb posted a video to TikTok where he claims to employees of a car mechanic shop that he’s “from corporate” and has gotten “multiple complaints,” before a van full of men in jumpsuits enters the business and begins to operate on vehicles.

In another series of videos posted between March and May, Cobb can be seen shrieking in various stores but pretending not to know the origins of the screams when approached by employees, garnering millions of views.

“These videos are definitely not pranks. They are crossing the line from something that’s fun and playful into criminal territory. They’re breaking laws,” Tempe Police Officer Jessica Ells said in a statement to AZFamily. “They are going into these businesses and impersonating the employees. That actually is a felony charge.”

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Police booked Cobb on one count of burglary in the third degree, two counts of criminal impersonation, five counts of disorderly conduct and five counts of criminal trespass, per the release. According to their statement, Pep Boys, Hyland Auto Repair, Big Brand Tire & Service, Jiffy Lube and Chipotle were among the businesses affected by Cobb’s pranks.

“Hopefully this will put pressure on Instagram, YouTube, and all of the other platforms to really look at what people are posting,” Hyland Auto owner David Hyland told AZFamily.

This isn’t the first time a TikTok creator has faced charges over a viral prank: In December, Charles Smith was arrested for allegedly spraying deadly chemicals on several food items at an Arizona Walmart, which he filmed in a since-deleted TikTok video. According to the Mesa Police Department, Smith turned himself in voluntarily and admitted to theft and spraying pesticides.

“This incident underscores the potential dangers of reckless actions disguised as social media pranks,” the Mesa Police Department wrote in a statement at the time.