MIAMI — An extensive clash involving adolescents plunged Bayside Marketplace into disarray in downtown Miami on Monday night. However, assertions on social media indicate that what came after was much more… otherworldly.
As the altercation drew a significant police presence to the vicinity that evening, speculations swiftly circulated on Twitter and other social media platforms insinuating that law enforcement was not there to manage an unruly group of teens, but instead to deal with “8-10ft tall shadow aliens.”
As per a casual video uploaded online, there are instances when a large “being” was purportedly sighted directly in front of the entrance to the shopping center, prompting numerous online conspiracy theorists to air their perspectives on the occurrences of that Monday night.
Unsurprisingly, the memes also flooded in.
“I don’t know if the rumors about the aliens at the Miami Mall are real but I do know I never seen this many police in one place,” was posted by a particular individual.
“Everybody have cell phones, but nobody have an up close video of the 8-10 foot alien by the Miami mall?” another user posted.
“Me greeting the aliens at the Miami mall,” was shared by another user.
Even William Shatner, renowned for his iconic portrayal as Cpt. James Kirk in the television series “Star Trek,” expressed his response to the conspiracy theory.
“So apparently space aliens visited a mall in Miami?” he queried on X.
CBS News Miami has made contact with the City of Miami Police for an official statement on the conspiracy and rumors. Officer Michael Vega restated the circumstances surrounding the confrontation involving 50 juveniles, adding: “There were no aliens, UFOs or ETs. No airports were closed, no power outages,” followed by an exasperated emoji.
On Friday, the terms “Miami Mall” and “Aliens in Miami” have ranked among the top 10 searches on Twitter’s Trending tab, and Google News has aggregated several news outlets yearning to believe because the truth is out there.
Aliens and UFOs have been in the spotlight over the years, particularly in the past year.
In July 2023, a former military officer turned whistleblower disclosed to House lawmakers during a hearing that Congress is being kept in the dark about unidentified aerial phenomena (or UAPs, the new terminology for unidentified flying objects [UFOs]). Similarly, a former U.S. Navy pilot and a Harvard professor made comparable assertions during the same hearing.
