TikTok troll 'TomTheTroll’ arrested for making a fake threat to the police to bomb an airport

Self-proclaimed TikTok troll ‘TomTheTroll’, whose real name is Thomas Anthony Brienza, was reportedly arrested last Saturday (August 24) after threatening to bomb an airport in the United States.

An incident report about the arrest stated that the TikTok prankster walked up to police officers wearing a pair of glasses with a built-in camera at Charleston International Airport in South Carolina, according to local media.

The 20-year-old, of Centereach, New York, is accused of telling officers at the scene that he had a “strap,” which is a slang word for a gun. He also reportedly told them he had a bomb, and even said he had drug fentanyl inside his parked car.

Though he first claimed he was ready to blow up the airport, Brienza then back-tracked and told the authorities that he was only pranking them for social media views. Brienza went on to tell officers he didn’t actually have anything illegal in his possession and though he wasn’t carrying a firearm or a bomb he was still arrested.

Despite his efforts take back his threats, the TikToker was placed in handcuffs and charged with possession or threatened use of a weapon of mass destruction. He was taken to the Al Cannon Detention Center and posted a $100,000 (around £76,000) bond.

Brienza had clearly taken his prank too far this tine, but he’s been known to joke around with police officers for TikTok content previously. On the same day of his arrest, the TikToker posted a video to the platform where he told a police officer that he had been “drinking and driving,” and that he was a “threat” to himself and others.

While that particular statement didn’t leave him at risk of going to jail, his joke was enough for some TikTok viewers to think he was “pushing his luck”, and it seems later in the same day his luck did indeed run out.