Footage of Jeep stuck in mud predates Burning Man
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on September 8, 2023 at 19:31
- 4 min read
- By Bill MCCARTHY, AFP USA
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"Someone who tried to escape Burning Man," says text over a September 3, 2023 TikTok video with more than 14.5 million views.
The clip, which shows a vehicle buried wheels-deep in mud, spread alongside similar claims on TikTok and other platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter.
The posts circulated as Burning Man revelers in Nevada were stuck for days waiting for the ground to dry after torrential rains transformed the festival -- an annual countercultural campout that culminates with the ceremonial burning of a giant effigy -- into a muddy quagmire.
The sludge-trapped vehicles led some people to flee on foot and prompted calls from organizers to shelter in place and conserve food and water before roads reopened September 4.
But the video of the white Jeep predates the weeklong gathering, which began August 27.
Reverse image searches revealed the same footage circulated as early as August 15 -- more than a week before Burning Man (archived here). A TikTok user from Southern California first posted it with a location tag indicating it was captured in South Padre Island, Texas (archived here).
@mvnueeel Valio chorizo #jeep#jeeplife#rubicon#offroad#tx#956#956valley#rgv#rgv956#pp♬ sonido original - Uli Music
The user also shared additional footage of the Jeep stuck in the mud, saying in comment sections and location tags that the videos were captured near South Padre Island, Boca Chica Beach and a SpaceX facility in Brownsville, Texas (archived here and here).
@mvnueeel Replying to @Hooeycowboy PARTE 2... si salio despues de 12 horas 0 damage y ahorita anda como nada el pedo fue la lavada #jeep#jeeplife#rubicon#offroad#tx#fy#956#rgv#956valley#pp#parati#jeepwrangler♬ Bélico y Cholo - Sebastian Esquivel & Yerai R
AFP could not determine the precise location of the recording, but structures on the horizon in the user's other videos appear to resemble two neighboring high-rise buildings in South Padre Island (archived here and here). Some locations in the area allow off-road driving.
Similar views of the buildings appear in a September 2020 YouTube video taken from a car on trails near Boca Chica Beach (archived here). The Jeeps in the footage repeatedly get caught in the mud.
AFP reached out to the TikTok user who originally posted the footage for comment, but no response was forthcoming.
AFP has debunked other misinformation about Burning Man here and here.
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