A 20-year-old Florida resident was arrested over the weekend after authorities said he posted a video on TikTok threatening a school shooting as part of an attempt to generate online reactions, as reported by The New York Post.

The Walton County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of Ethan Ladner of Santa Rosa Beach on Sunday, charging him with making electronic threats of a mass shooting.

Santa Rosa Beach Man Charged After TikTok Threat of School Sh**ting

The Walton County Sheriff’s Office was alerted this weekend after the FBI flagged a TikTok livestream in which 20-year-old Ethan Ladner of Santa Rosa Beach made threatening comments about a planned school… pic.twitter.com/KUGYbHw5x4

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According to the sheriff’s office, the investigation began after the FBI flagged the video, which had been uploaded to TikTok and later removed from the platform.

Authorities said Ladner admitted to posting the comments that appeared in the clip and acknowledged that he had intended to provoke responses online.

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“Ladner admitted to posting the threatening comments and said he was attempting to provoke reactions online,” the Walton County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

The agency emphasized that all threats directed at schools are treated as credible until proven otherwise.

“Let us be clear. There is no such thing as a ‘joke’ when it comes to threats of violence toward our schools,” the sheriff’s office said.

The statement noted that “even comments made ‘as a joke’ can result in criminal charges, school discipline, and long-term consequences that follow someone for life.”

Local authorities stressed that investigations involving school-related threats are handled with urgency, regardless of how the individual responsible characterizes their actions.

Officials did not identify a specific school referenced in the video and did not release further details about the nature of the threat. The sheriff’s office confirmed only that the video had been taken down shortly after it was reported.

Ladner is facing a felony charge under Florida law pertaining to electronic communications that threaten a mass shooting or act of terrorism.

Authorities said the case remains under investigation and additional information will be released as it becomes available.

The arrest comes amid broader concerns among law enforcement agencies nationwide about threats circulated on social media platforms.

The Walton County Sheriff’s Office reiterated its policy of pursuing criminal charges in cases involving school-related threats, regardless of the intent stated by the person involved.

Ladner was taken into custody without incident. No additional arrests have been announced, and authorities have not disclosed whether Ladner has obtained legal representation.

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