Kidnapping Charges Dropped for College Students Whose 'Catch a Predator' TikTok Trend 'Got Out of Hand'

A Massachusetts judge has thrown out kidnapping and conspiracy charges against five Assumption University students who allegedly staged a vigilante-style confrontation as part of a viral TikTok trend inspired by "To Catch a Predator."

The case began in October 2023, when campus police at Assumption University in Worcester responded to an incident involving a 22-year-old active-duty military service member who was lured to campus through a Tinder match, according to NBC News.

He was ambushed by a group of students accusing him of attempting to meet underage girls. Although the man involved was not found to be pursuing minors—he had allegedly been told the woman was 17, "soon to turn 18," and responded that it was fine because she was in college.

The encounter was caught on video, with students reportedly recording and celebrating the moment, mimicking the setup of "To Catch a Predator," the NBC show that aired from 2004 to 2007.

Authorities later charged six students, alleging they had plotted the encounter that "got out of hand," resulting in unlawfully restraining the man, ABC News reported. The charges drew attention amid a broader wave of amateur "predator-catching" videos on TikTok, where users film sting-style confrontations in the name of justice—often without law enforcement involvement and sometimes without facts on their side.

On April 9, 2025, a Worcester District Court judge dismissed the most serious charges—conspiracy and kidnapping—against Kelsy Brainard, Easton Randall, Kevin Carroll, Isabella Trudeau, and Joaquin Smith.

The court found insufficient evidence that the group had forcibly detained the man or acted in a coordinated plan to hold him against his will. Defense attorneys argued the incident was chaotic but not criminal and lacked any real physical restraint or sustained threat.

While the core charges were dropped, Brainard still faces a count of witness intimidation, and Carroll remains charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon related to the man's attempt to escape.