Did a widely-shared image provide an authentic record of Niagara Falls turning "blood red" in June 2025? No, that's not true: The image was first posted by a Facebook page that regularly posts fictional content and AI-generated images. A spokesperson for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation confirmed that the story and image were "not authentic".
The image was presented as authentic in a June 22, 2025, post on Facebook (archived here) which garnered more than 23,000 shares in just a few days. The text caption read:
🌊 SHOCKING SCENE: Niagara Falls Turns Blood Red for 10 Minutes, Stuns Visitors
June 22, 2025 | Niagara Falls, USA/Canada -- In a stunning and eerie turn of events, Niagara Falls appeared to run red "like blood" for approximately 10 minutes early Sunday morning, leaving tourists and locals in shock.
At approximately 5:36 AM, visitors reported seeing the iconic Horseshoe Falls change from its usual clear cascade to a deep crimson color, with the water and mist both reflecting an intense blood-red hue. The bizarre phenomenon lasted for exactly 10 minutes before the water gradually returned to its normal state.
🎥 "It looked like a scene from a horror movie," said Elena Torres, a tourist from Mexico who captured the moment on video. "The whole river was red, and people around me started screaming and recording. It was surreal -- like the Falls were bleeding."
Environmental experts noted that while certain water-safe dyes are sometimes used for scientific research, there were no scheduled studies in the area this morning.
🚨 Unconfirmed Reports:
Several online users have speculated it could be a publicity stunt or art installation gone wrong.
Others referenced interpretations, especially as the event occurred under dark, overcast skies.
By 6:00 AM, cleanup crews and drone surveillance had been deployed, and no signs of long-term water pollution have been detected so far. Officials have urged the public to stay calm and await full lab results.
🔍 "We've never seen anything like this in our lifetimes," said Dr. Rebecca Thompson, a hydrologist expert. "The sheer scale of the color change and the timing raises many questions we don't yet have answers to."
The investigation continues
This is what it looked like at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot)
In reality, the image was fake and the story included in the post was no more than a fabrication.
The Facebook page behind both the image and text, EndTimes News (endisnear33) regularly posts fake, likely AI-generated images and videos which appear to show natural disasters and extreme weather events, and admits as much in the page's description, which reads:
About end of the world signs.EndTimes News Arround The World, entertainment and education. Welcome To The Reality And Fiction (AI)
For example, a June 18 post contained descriptions of a "massive sinkhole" "swallowing" skyscrapers in Sao Paolo, Brazil -- an event that simply never occurred -- and illustrated that post with a blatantly AI-generated image:
Similarly, a June 21 post contained an account of a "sand tsunami" hitting the Chinese city of Jinchang -- another fabricated catastrophe -- which was illustrated with another obviously AI-generated image:
(Source: Facebook screenshot)
A spokesperson for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation -- which oversees Niagara Falls State Park --confirmed that the "blood red" story and image were fake, telling Lead Stories in an email: "This is not authentic".
