Video: Utah Teen Arrested for Allegedly Taping Fish to ATMs

By Tim Binnall

Police in Utah arrested a teenager who allegedly taped fish to multiple ATMs over the last several months and, in the process, amassed a rather sizeable fan following online. The very strange case reportedly began back in August when the Instagram account 'fish_bandit84' posted footage of the first such pescatarian prank. Featuring a bio that reads "live, laugh, tape fish on ATMs," they stayed true to that credo over the next several months as new videos of the stunts kept being posted to the page and, over time, a staggering 55,000 people followed the unfolding antics. However, little did they know that cops were hot on the trail of the self-described fish bandit and eventually caught up with the troublemaker.

Upon receiving a report from a bank that had gotten 'fished' in September, authorities in the city of Provo set about investigating the peculiar series of incidents. The pursuit of the pescatarian prankster no doubt picked up steam after they daringly taped a fish to a Provo police cruiser. Cops eventually connected the antics to the Instagram account and subsequently identified the perpetrator after obtaining a search warrant to reveal his identity. An unnamed teenager was ultimately unmasked as the 'fish bandit' and charged with two counts of causing property damage as a result of the ATMs having to be cleaned because of the pranks.