Does a video on social media show a "Hindu Indian man" coming to America and taking a "dump in public"? No, that's not true: The video shows YouTuber Prince Zee, who is not Hindu or Indian, performing one of the many stunts that have earned him millions of followers across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. He was arrested in January 2021 for allegedly faking a medical emergency in Times Square.
The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on Instagram by myreligionisrap on February 24, 2024. The post's caption says:
⚠️ GRAPHIC ⚠️ Hindu Indian man comes to America and takes a dump in public. FYI this is normal behavior amongst people from the Hindu religion in India. Should we be tolerant and accept this behavior here in the USA or should he be arrested on the spot and placed in solitary confinement for being so disgusting?
This is what the post looked like on Instagram at the time of writing:
(Source: Instagram screenshot taken on Mon Feb 26 17:20:31 2024 UTC)
The video
The original version of the video (archived here) published on Instagram by Prince Zee on August 22, 2019, had a different caption than the one shared by myreligionisrap. The caption on the original post said:
So this was a personal experience that I witnessed when I was abroad in a third world country. It was considered super normal to the human eyes and was surprised how nobody cared. I decided to take that same concept of a man taking a sh*t in a trash can and apply it to the New York City environment and test out the people reactions.
This is what the post looked like on Instagram at the time of writing:
(Source: Instagram screenshot taken on Mon Feb 26 17:59:10 2024 UTC)
Contrary to the caption in the post by myreligionisrap, Prince Zee is not Hindu or Indian. In a podcast published February 19, 2019, he talks about growing up Catholic and Muslim to a Filipino mom and Pakistani dad. He identified himself as a first-generation American.
Lots of hoaxes
The stunt is just one of many recorded "social experiments" by Prince Zee. These are some of the titles of the popular videos on his YouTube account:
- Wearing a Diaper in Public
- Hair Waxing in Public
- Using a Portable Toilet in Public
- Asking New Yorkers "How Do You Clean Your Butt"
On his various social media accounts, Prince Zee refers to himself as a "public figure" and an "artist." He also says he's "bringing all my crazy ideas to life."
Times Square arrest
One such hoax led to his arrest in Times Square in late January 2021 (here and here), which earned a mention on what was then the official Twitter account (now X) of the New York police commissioner. The post's caption said:
The YouTuber who faked a medical emergency in @TimesSquareNYC to gain followers also gained a criminal record, as he's now been arrested & charged with the dangerous stunt that took NYC first responders away from other NYers in actual distress.
This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Source: X screenshot taken on Mon Feb 26 17:59:10 2024 UTC)
The New York Post reported that Prince Zee was "charged with obstructing governmental administration, false reporting of an incident, criminal nuisance and disorderly conduct," according to police.
