Latest news with #HestonCobb
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
TikToker facing charges after pranking workers at Chipotle, Pep Boys: police
A Phoenix area content creator is facing criminal charges after authorities say he went too far pranking multiple businesses over a four-month period. Heston Cobb, 21, known on social media as Heston James, was arrested on July 23 and charged with one count of third degree burglary, two counts of criminal impersonation, five counts of disorderly conduct and five counts of criminal trespassing, the Tempe Police Department announced in a press release. Police called the alleged crimes 'serious viral pranks that disrupted several local businesses.' What did the pranks entail? Between March and July, Cobb and a group of other men targeted businesses in Tempe, about 11 miles southeast of Phoenix, police said in the press release. The group went into stores such as Pep Boys, Jiffy Lube and Chipotle dressed as employees. Once inside, the men allegedly began disrupting businesses by entering employee-only areas. When they were asked to leave, they refused. Cobb, later identified as the leader of the group, told the others to start working, police said. The videos were uploaded to Cobb's social media pages. While his TikTok page has been deleted, he has an Instagram account with 1.2 million followers as of July 28, as well as a YouTube page with nearly 79,000 subscribers as of July 28. 'The videos garnered millions of views and potentially generated large amounts of money,' police said. Cobb recognized in previous videos In a compilation video titled "Top 5 Heston James moments," Cobb can be seen at a Target store pretending to be on the phone. "Go ahead and uh, bring the guys in," he said as a security worker tried to get him out of the store. In the next clip, a group of men dressed in red, as if they worked at Target, marched into the store, and Cobb directed them to "get to work." "Take over the lanes,' Cobb said. 'I need people at self-checkout." Another clip in the compilation shows a store employee telling Cobb he recognizes him. 'You look a lot like a guy who goes around recording videos of himself screaming in stores,' the employee said to Cobb, referencing another type of video Cobb had previously posted. In his other videos, he goes into stores yelling profanity. One clip he shared on his Instagram page on July 4 showed a group pulling up to a mechanic's shop in a white van and rushing inside. As of July 28, the video has over 1 million likes. 'Diligent police work' Police were able to connect the most recent retail pranks to each other once they began happening more often in Tempe, they said in their statement. 'Diligent police work connected 21-year-old Heston Cobb to the social media platforms as the leader of these pranks,' Tempe police added. Cobb captioned multiple videos "Bro pulled up with his own army of workers." Once viewers got wind of his arrest, they've been piling on comments. "Bro had a full page full of evidence," wrote one user on July 25. Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Who is Heston James? TikTok influencer arrested for viral pranks disrupting businesses
Police have arrested Heston Cobb, an Arizona based influencer, for disrupting local businesses through a series of pranks. Heston Cobb was arrested at his home on July 23.(X/@MAGAgeddon) Authorities said businesses in Tempe, Arizona, reported numerous instances of groups of men who entered their stores dressed as employees and then refused to leave when asked. Probing these incidents, cops found them linked to viral prank videos uploaded to social media by Cobb, who enjoys a 1.6 million-strong following on TikTok, People reported. Who is Heston Cobb? Heston Cobb or Heston James, as he's known to his followers, is a TikTok influencer. He was arrested at his home on July 23. Cobb was booked on one count of burglary, two counts of criminal impersonation, five counts of disorderly conduct and five counts of criminal trespass. Also Read | TikTok will go dark in US without Chinese approval of sale deal, says Howard Lutnick If Cobb gets the maximum punishment under Arizona law, he could be looking at up to nine years in jail and a fine of $315,000. What viral prank was Heston Cobb playing? Cobb, in a series of videos, from March to May, could be seen shrieking in various stores, then pretending not to know where the screams came from, when approached by staff. On July 4, he posted a TikTok video, where he claims to be an employee of a car mechanic shop. He says he's 'from corporate' and has gotten 'multiple complaints'. Then, a van full of men in jumpsuits enter the place of business and begin operating on cars there. '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 to AZFamily, adding, 'They are going into these businesses and impersonating the employees. That actually is a felony charge.' Pep Boys, Hyland Auto Repair, Big Brand Tire & Service, Jiffy Lube and Chipotle were among businesses impacted 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 told the publication.
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Express Tribune
TikToker Heston James faces 9 years in jail over viral prank spree
Heston Cobb, known as Heston James to his 1.6 million TikTok followers, has been arrested and faces up to 9 years and 8 months in jail after a months-long spree of disruptive viral pranks across Arizona. The 21-year-old was taken into custody on July 23, 2025, after police linked him to multiple incidents where he impersonated employees at businesses including Pep Boys, Chipotle, and Jiffy Lube. According to authorities, Cobb and his crew would dress as staff members and storm employee-only areas while filming for content. One viral video showed Cobb posing as a mechanic at Hyland Auto Repair while others crawled under customer vehicles. Another prank involved a fake cleaning crew taking over a Chipotle location, triggering a 911 call from employees. Tempe Police say Cobb's actions go beyond humor. 'These videos are definitely not pranks,' said Officer Jessica Ells. 'They're breaking laws—this is criminal impersonation and trespassing.' 🚨 Pranks have consequences. Tempe PD arrested influencer Heston Cobb after viral videos showed him impersonating employees and disrupting Tempe businesses. He now faces charges including burglary, impersonation, and trespassing. Read more: — Tempe Police Department (@TempePolice) July 25, 2025 Cobb now faces 13 charges, including felony burglary in the third degree, two felony counts of criminal impersonation, and 10 misdemeanors. These charges carry a potential sentence of nearly a decade behind bars and fines exceeding $315,000. Investigators allege the stunts generated massive viewership and revenue on TikTok and Instagram. However, prosecutors are considering harsher penalties due to the repeated, monetized nature of the offenses. The case is still under investigation, with police working to identify other individuals featured in Cobb's viral prank videos.
NBC News
3 days ago
- NBC News
TikTok prankster Heston Cobb arrested in Arizona after viral stunts disrupted local businesses
An Arizona TikToker was arrested after a number of his viral pranks disrupted local businesses, officials said. The Tempe Police Department arrested Heston Cobb, 21, on Thursday after they linked him to social media accounts posting videos of the pranks and identified him as the leader of the group involved. Cobb was booked on one count of third degree burglary, two counts of criminal impersonation, five counts of disorderly conduct and five counts of criminal trespass. It was not immediately clear whether Cobb is in jail or whether he has legal representation. From March to July, businesses reported to police instances of a group of men who entered their stores dressed as employees, police said. They "began seriously disrupting their businesses by entering employee-only areas and refusing to leave when asked," the police statement said. According to police, one man was identified in these instances as the "leader" of the group and instructed the others to begin "working." Some of the viral videos show this in action. In one video, a man can be heard telling employees at Chipotle that he was called in to "clean house" because their portion sizes have been "lacking." He then makes a phone call to call in his troops, who then begin haphazardly "cleaning" the restaurant and attempting to enter the employees-only area behind the counter as the store's manager calls the police. Other stores in Tempe that were pranked include Pep Boys, Hyland Auto Repair, Big Brand Tire & Service and Jiffy Lube, police said. It was not clear if any of the other men were identified or arrested.
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Miami Herald
TikToker poses as employee at Arizona stores for videos, cops say. He's arrested
A 21-year-old TikToker with hundreds of millions of views pretended to work at stores in Arizona, police said. He's since been arrested on multiple charges. Heston Cobb is accused of disrupting multiple businesses in Tempe from March to July, the Tempe Police Department said in a July 24 news release. These businesses include Pep Boys, Hyland Auto Repair, Big Brand Tire & Service, Jiffy Lube and Chipotle, police said. McClatchy News could not immediately reach Cobb for comment on July 25. Cobb would go into places pretending to be employed there, then had a group of men come in 'dressed as employees,' police said. He would then tell the group to start 'working,' police said The prankster got it all on camera and uploaded the videos to Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, where he goes by Heston James. Most of his videos have millions of views, and police said it's possible the videos 'generated large amounts of money.' Cobb was arrested July 23 at his home on multiple charges: One count of third-degree burglaryTwo counts of criminal impersonationFive counts of disorderly conductFive counts of criminal trespass Cobb has 1.6 million followers on TikTok. In a March 9 video, he is seen posing as an employee at a Target. The video has 29.4 million views. Tempe is in the Phoenix metro area.
