Buffalo blizzard store looting video is from Philadelphia PA

Since Dec. 24, Buffalo, New York, and surrounding areas acquired over 4 toes of snow in some locations. More than 30 people have been confirmed lifeless within the blizzard. 

Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia mentioned throughout the storm there have been reviews of looting within the metropolis, and arrests had been made, VERIFY associate station WGRZ reported.

At least one store within the metropolis was boarded as much as forestall additional harm. 

There are some movies on-line that declare to indicate stunning scenes of looting. One video, particularly, claiming to indicate a looting scene in Buffalo, has gone viral. The video exhibits the inside of a Walmart store, with cabinets cleared and product bins scattered all through the store. 

Is this viral video of a looted Walmart from Buffalo in December 2022?

No, this video is not from Buffalo throughout the winter storm. It was taken at a Philadelphia Walmart Supercenter in October 2020.

This 18-second video does present a ransacked Walmart, nevertheless it’s not from Buffalo, New York throughout the storm. The video was initially taken in October 2020 and exhibits a looted Walmart in Philadelphia’s Port Richmond neighborhood. 

According to local reports from 2020, a number of companies had been looted amid protests following the officer-involved taking pictures of Walter Wallace Jr. 

The Walmart Supercenter is situated close to the intersection of Castor and Aramingo avenues, and Philadelphia Police on Oct. 27, 2020, confirmed there was looting within the space.

Using video and picture forensics instruments to substantiate the situation of the looted Walmart, VERIFY discovered a video from the identical Walmart posted by photographer and impartial journalist Brendan Gutenschwager on Oct. 28, 2020. According to the YouTube description, Gutenschwager took the video on Oct. 27.

VERIFY matched objects in every video, the one posted in 2020 and the video posted in December 2022, and confirmed they present the identical location and the identical looting scene. Gutenschwager additionally confirmed to VERIFY the movies are from the identical occasion. 

For instance, in the beginning of the viral video, Sterilite bins will be seen opened and pricing indicators are within the background, with costs of $15.97, $19.97 and $4.97 clearly seen. The similar bins and pricing indicators will be seen on the 1:45 mark of Gutenschwager’s 2020 video from Philadelphia. 

At 15 seconds into the viral video, a value signal for $5.97 will be seen enclosed in a white cage-like construction in the course of the aisle. The similar signal and aisle will be seen on the 1:41-second mark within the video posted in October 2020. 

Gutenschwager additionally posted a number of different shorter clips from inside the store to his Twitter account. 

As of Dec. 27, there have been no confirmed reviews of any Walmart within the Buffalo space being looted. VERIFY reached out to Walmart for remark however didn’t hear again on the time of publishing.