A number of Facebook posts have claimed that an air ambulance helicopter had been stolen in Bootle, Merseyside, sharing a tweet about the incident from Merseyside Police. However, the tweet was fake and this incident did not take place.
The post included what appeared to be a tweet from Merseyside Police which said: “Merseyside police [sic] have today arrested 4 males from the Bootle area in respect of taking a helicopter without consent and flying with no insurance. More updates to follow.”
It also included a video of the helicopter taking off.
Another image shared in one of the posts stated: “4 Bootle heads just been [sic] a joy ride in a chopper and bailed out in derby park [sic] wtf”.
While an air ambulance was seen in Bootle recently, it was not stolen. As reported by the Liverpool Echo, an air ambulance was called on 16 May to assist in a police incident.
The tweet was a mock-up and Merseyside Police said it is commenting under posts and trying to find out who wrote it.