YouTube sensation JoJo Siwa says she feared someone was inside her house after she was the victim of a swatting incident and LAPD officers swarmed her $3.4 million mansion – hours after she came out as LGBTQ+.
The 17-year-old influencer says she forgot to put on her shoes – but remembered her camera – as she and three others were ordered out of the home with their hands up in Los Angeles’ Tarzana neighborhood on Saturday.
Siwa later claimed ’50 police cars’ surrounded her house but, in the minute-long TRQFFIC video, only seven police cars and one firetruck were visible.
Siwa – who recorded everything – said: ‘My fear was that I thought somebody was in the house and I didn’t know about it. That’s what I was scared about! Or somebody like came to hide and they came through our backyard.’
Swatting, a criminal harassment tactic of deceiving 911 operators into sending a police to an address, has been a federal crime since 2015.
Dance Moms alum JoJo Siwa (M) was the victim of swatting after the LAPD was summoned to her $3.4M, 6,111-square-foot mansion in LA’s Tarzana neighborhood on Saturday
The grinning 17-year-old influencer (2-R) forgot to put on shoes, but remembered her camera as she and three others were ordered to come outside with their hands up in the rain
‘Never prank the police that is the most wrong thing to do. It’s very, very, very illegal,’ Siwa warned on her videographer Nate Javier’s Instagram Live that evening.
‘The people will get in trouble for whoever did that. They will get in a lot of trouble, possibly serve time. That’s what my security told me.’
It’s unclear who called the LAPD with a false threat.
‘The police were saying somebody had called and made a claim and then, all of a sudden, paparazzi came from around the corner,’ JoJo (born Joelle Joanie) accused.
JoJo took to her videographer Nate Javier’s (L) Instagram Live that evening: ‘Never prank the police that is the most wrong thing to do. It’s very, very, very illegal’
Siwa warned: ‘The people will get in trouble for whoever did that. They will get in a lot of trouble, possibly serve time. That’s what my security told me’
‘It’s sad to me that that’s what it took for somebody to want to take a picture’: It’s unclear who called the LAPD with a false threat, but the Nebraska-born blonde was convinced it was a member of the media
Siwa then claimed the media swatted her because they were ‘very excited’ about her coming out as LGBT last week.
There is no evidence to support Siwa’s theory.
‘I love the support. However, you know, you could’ve just hung outside my house and I would’ve eventually come outside,’ said the Where Are You Christmas songstress, who was packing for a trip to Canada.
‘Those police could’ve had a much better time spent somewhere else actually helping somebody, instead of dealing with a fake claim from paparazzi.’
‘You could’ve just hung outside my house and I would’ve eventually come outside!’ JoJo claimed the media swatted her because they were ‘very excited’ about her coming out as LGBT last week
Siwa said: ‘Those police could’ve had a much better time spent somewhere else actually helping somebody, instead of dealing with a fake claim from paparazzi’
The Where Are You Christmas songstress admitted: ‘My fear was that I thought somebody was in the house and I didn’t know about it. That’s what I was scared about! Or somebody like came to hide and they came through our backyard’
Earlier on Saturday, Siwa thanked her 55.7M social media followers for all of their support of her emerging yet still cryptic sexuality.
‘I’m not ready to say what this answer is because I don’t really know this answer,’ The Masked Singer T-Rex said.
‘I think humans are awesome. I think humans are really incredible people. I want to keep things in my life private before they’re ready to become public. I’m the happiest that I’ve ever been. And that’s what matters.’
JoJo was sporting a hoodie her manager Caryn Sterling had made after landing a spot on TIME’s list of 100 Most Influential People of 2020 back in September.
‘I’m not ready to say what this answer is because I don’t really know this answer’: Earlier on Saturday, JoJo thanked her 55.7M social media followers for all of their support of her emerging yet still cryptic sexuality
Siwa continued: ‘I want to keep things in my life private before they’re ready to become public. I’m the happiest that I’ve ever been. And that’s what matters’
Proudest achievement: The Masked Singer T-Rex was sporting a hoodie her manager Caryn Sterling had made after landing a spot on TIME’s list of 100 Most Influential People of 2020 back in September
