'Literally disgusting': 'Fish Bandit' teen arrested for allegedly taping fish to ATM machines in Utah

PROVO, UTAH: A 17-year-old boy from Utah has been reportedly arrested for a peculiar prank that has caught the attention of both local authorities and the media.

According to Fox 13, the teen, whose identity has not been disclosed, was arrested last month for his antics in the Provo areas.

From August to November 2023, the teen engaged in a bizarre stunt of affixing fish to various surfaces.

The peculiar exploits were documented on an anonymous Instagram page, fish_bandit84, leading to a wave of headlines and ultimately, a juvenile criminal case.

"Live, laugh, tape fish on ATMs" the profile bio says. "No fish were harmed in the process."

Why is the 'Fish Bandit' arrested?

The individual known as the 'Fish Bandit' is alleged to have used duct tape to attach fish, both dead and alive, to various objects such as ATMs, restroom doors, and even a police vehicle.

This has led to skepticism regarding the statement that "no fish were harmed."

Evidence on Instagram allegedly suggests that these pranks were not only carried out in Utah and other parts of the United States, but also in international cities like Phoenix, Guatemala City, Frankfurt, and Tokyo.

The method employed by the 'Fish Bandit' to stick some of the world's most slippery organisms to plastic screens and other unsuitable surfaces is still unknown.

The decision to place cigarettes in the mouths of some of the fish adds another dimension to this enigma.

How was the teen caught?

The suspect, in a video dated September 1, 2023, which depicted a bleeding carp taped to an ATM, captioned it with "We don’t do catch and release."

The motives behind these pranks remain ambiguous. It's uncertain whether they were intended as a political statement or if the teenager was merely seeking amusement.

Nevertheless, when the cleanup started to financially burden companies, authorities initiated a criminal investigation last year.

The 'Fish Bandit's Instagram activities soon caught the attention of law enforcement, leading to the identification and apprehension of the culprit.

What are charges against the 'Fish Bandit'?

The teenager was eventually charged with two counts of misdemeanor property damage.

The case has now been reportedly forwarded to Utah's Juvenile Justice and Youth Services.

Internet reaction to the Fish Bandit's arrest

Calls for the 'Fish Bandit's release can be heard echoing across Instagram comments and on X, formally known as Twitter. 

"free my man he aint do nothing wrong," wrote a user on Instagram. 

Another user said, "How come we can’t catch fentanyl dealers but the cops can put money toward arresting the fish guy."

Others on X mocked the teen for the "disgusting" act. 

One user tweeted, "Sounds like someone was just fishing for attention!"

"The dmbest way to get yourself into trouble," wrote another. 

"Why on earth would you do this?" laughed a user.

One person joked, "Theres no way there's a law on the books against doing this."

"That’s literally disgusting… why did he do that?questioned another.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.