A man who misplaced his phone in a Walmart bathroom inadvertently became the source of a fake bomb threat call, according to Florida deputies. On January 12, dispatchers received a call claiming a bomb inside a Port Charlotte Walmart Neighborhood Market at around 3 p.m. The caller hung up after making the threat. The dispatcher promptly called the number back, receiving a response with the ominous words "tic toc, tic toc" before another hang-up.
Deputies conducted a search in the area and eventually located the owner of the phone, who was unaware of its absence. The phone's owner, notified by his smartwatch about a call from 911, used the watch to locate his phone in the Walmart bathroom. It was revealed that he had left the phone behind, and someone else found it, subsequently using it for the bomb threat.
Despite the initial alarm, the threat was deemed not credible after a thorough search of the area. Surveillance footage helped identify a 28-year-old man present in the bathroom during the call. Upon questioning, the man admitted to making the threat, claiming he was inspired by fake bomb threat trends on TikTok. The man was arrested and charged with felony false reporting of a bomb or weapon of mass destruction, as stated by the sheriff's office.
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