Last updated on June 2nd, 2026
Editor's Note
Following the April 2026 hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius, several social media users circulated rodent-related footage, falsely attributing it to the event. Some clips spread across platforms and in multiple languages, amplifying public unease. This fact-check report examines two such videos, analyzing their sources and visual characteristics to identify the fabrication techniques used.
Claim
- On May 10, 2026, X users @Anlik_Analiz circulated a video showing dozens of giant rats pouring from the rear of a moving semi-trailer truck on a highway. The original Turkish caption translates to “#BREAKING Is the Hanta virus coming?” English-language follow-up posts by @TrueOnX added: “Intentional release? Population control? Or something worse… Hantavirus carriers being dumped into cities?” As of the time of review, combined views had exceeded 700,000.
- On May 11, 2026, X user @BekLoverNYC posted a video showing more than a dozen rats scattering from beneath a blanket on a New York City subway platform. The accompanying caption read: “Seems like New York has immunity to Hantavirus.” As of the time of review, the post had received over 300,000 views.
Fact Check
1. "Truck Releasing Rats on a highway video"
1）Source Analysis
A reverse image search of keyframes revealed that an earlier similar version of the video was published on March 11, 2026, by Ukrainian TikTok user @divneselo. The original caption and all hashtags contain no reference to hantavirus or disease transmission of any kind. The same video, published on YouTube on the same day, was labeled as AI-generated.
2) Visual Analysis
Frame-by-frame analysis of the video posted by users @Anlik_Analiz and @TrueOnX revealed multiple visual anomalies. These anomalies include:
(1) rats with blurred outlines merging into the road surface without proper shadows;
(2) severe scale distortion, with rats approaching the size of truck wheels;
(3) single rats displaying forked or multiple tails;
(4) rigid, wire-like tail geometry inconsistent with real rodents;
(5) mechanical single-file emergence, with all rats exiting at synchronized intervals from a single point. Real rats startled by a moving vehicle would scatter in irregular directions and at varying speeds.
3）AI Detection Tool Result
Further analysis using AI image-detection tool Hive Moderation found that the key frame has an 89.2% probability of AI-generated.
4) Account Analysis
User@Anlik_Analiz is a Turkish-language account with the display name Anlık Haber Analiz (meaning “Instant News Analysis”).Its bio reads“ Antiküresel Medya | Reklam, işbirliği için DM”, which translates to “Anti-Global Media | For advertising and collaborations, please DM”.
@TrueOnX is the X account of Noah B. Price, who has approximately 41,401 followers and holds Blue Verified status. His bio presents himself as an author, visionary thinker, founder of The Ark Organization, rebuilder of humanity, someone who gives books away for free, feeds children globally, and emphasizes faith in God, scholarship, and the idea that IQ is a choice.
2. "NYC Subway Rats Indifferent to Hantavirus video"
1)Source Tracing
A reverse image search of keyframes traced the video to multiple U.S. local news reports dated January 9-11, 2024 from Fox 5 New York and the New York Post. And none of these reports mentioned hantavirus.
According to those reports, the original footage was published by TikTok user @six4bk718, but the account is no longer accessible as of the time of this review. We also found a similar account, @six5bk718, posted the identical video on January 8, 2024(UTC) under the title “Only in New York City Transit”, also without any reference to hantavirus. The 2024 media archives preserve the “@six4bk718” username overlay as cross-verifiable provenance.
2)Visual Detail Comparison
Side-by-side comparison of four sources — the @BekLoverNYC X video (May 11, 2026), the New York Post’s original X repost (January 9, 2024), and Fox 5 New York’s broadcast coverage (January 11, 2024) and the TikTok video by user @six5bk718 — shows high visual consistency:
The four sources match on the following five elements:
(1) gray fleece blanket: identical fabric, fold pattern, and weathering;
(2) gray concrete platform tiles: identical seam alignment and water-stain distribution;
(3) rat scattering pattern: identical direction and individual positions;
(4) white tile platform wall also visible among four videos;
(5) TikTok platform watermark and “@six4bk718” username overlay, visible in the Fox 5 broadcast, providing direct evidence of TikTok provenance.
Taken together, The @BekLoverNYC post is visually consistent with the 2024 footage from Fox 5 and New York Post and @six5bk718— only the caption has been replaced.
3) Account Analysis
@BekLoverNYC (Display Name: Bek Lover) is a Blue Verified account based in New York, currently with approximately 18,727 followers. He positions himself as a “Viral Speaker and Top Podcaster.” The core slogan in his Bio is: “No One Wins In War! Muslims, Christians & Jews Are Not Enemies.”
Background
In April 2026, an outbreak of Andes hantavirus (family Hantaviridae) occurred aboard the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius. As of 15:00 on May 26, 2026, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) had reported 13 cases linked to the vessel — 11 confirmed and 2 probable — including three deaths. Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that the risk of a wider outbreak remained very low. According to the WHO, hantaviruses are primarily transmitted through contact with the urine, feces, or aerosolized saliva of infected rodents; human-to-human transmission is extremely rare.
Verdict
Truck Releasing Rats on a highway video: AI-generated.
NYC Subway Rats Indifferent to Hantavirus video：Out of Context.
Conclusion
The two videos alleging a connection to the spread of hantavirus lack evidentiary support. The highway video depicting rats being released from a truck exhibits multiple visual anomalies, including scale distortion and rats displaying single or multiple tails. This video is highly consistent with an earlier video posted by a Ukrainian user that was marked AI generated and contained no mention of hantavirus. The New York subway video, which shows rats under a blanket, is visually highly consistent with footage from a 2024 local news report and a TikTok user, both documenting a rat infestation on the New York City subway system. When encountering alarming health claims, readers should stay vigilant, maintain a cautious attitude, and cross-check information across multiple sources.
Have a questionable video or claim? Submit it to Fact Hunter’s investigation team at [therealfacthunter@outlook.com].
Primary Fact Checker: Xinyue Zhang
Secondary Fact Checker: Yiting Huang
References
Fox 5 New York (January 11, 2024). https://www.fox5ny.com/news/rats-under-blanket-nyc-subway-homeless-person-blanket
New York Post (January 9, 2024). https://nypost.com/2024/01/09/metro/rats-scamper-out-from-under-nyc-homeless-mans-blanket-video/
New York Post X repost (January 10, 2024). https://x.com/nypost/status/1744854266982895712
World Health Organization, Hantavirus fact sheet. https://www.who.int/
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Hantavirus outbreak — MV Hondius (May 2026). https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/
Original TikTok video, “Only in New York City Transit” (January 8, 2024; currently accessible under renamed handle @six5bk718). https://www.tiktok.com/@six5bk718/video/7321853479818005806
