Video of man filling truck bed with gas originated as a gag on entertainment page

As the Colonial Pipeline disruption led to fears of fuel shortages on the East Coast, some misinformation about people hoarding gas started to spread online. 

On May 28, a video was shared on the Facebook page of Julius Dein, a street magician and performer who makes social media content. It’s titled "He filled his truck bed with gasoline" and shows a man at a gas station who appears to be filling his tarp-lined truck bed with fuel. 

But the post also says: "Thank you for watching! Please be aware that this page features Magic Effects/Illusions as well as scripted dramas and parodies. These short films are for entertainment purposes only!"

As the video has been shared on social media without that caveat, it’s not always clear that the video is staged.

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Facebook posts

stated on September 11, 2024 in una publicación en Facebook

"ÚLTIMA HORA Río Nilo se pinta de rojo sangre".

"Dude tries to fill entire pickup bed with fuel amidst last month’s fuel shortage," reads the headline of one June 7 blog post. 

The post shares the video on YouTube with the title "Insane man fills his truck bed with gasoline!"

This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

We rate claims that the video is authentic False.