A hacked Sacramento Fire Department X account briefly posted a false claim of a terror attack and MCI at Levi’s Stadium ahead of a FIFA World Cup match

By Reeti Malhotra
The Sacramento Bee

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento Fire Department officials confirmed Thursday that the agency’s X account was hacked after a false post claiming a terror attack at Levi’s Stadium appeared on its page for several seconds.

The message posted to the Fire Department’s @SacFirePIO account published at 11:36 a.m. claimed that a “mass casualty incident” had occurred near Levi’s Stadium. The stadium is hosting six FIFA World Cup matches this summer, including a group-stage game between Paraguay and Australia scheduled for Thursday.

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Accompanied by a 42-second video of firefighters hosing down smoking and blazing buildings, the post alleged that the incident was “suspected terror-related” and that Sacramento Fire and multiple agencies were “on scene triaging and transporting victims.” It also claimed the match had been moved to SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

There was no such incident at or near the Santa Clara venue, according to authorities, and Thursday’s match — Paraguay vs. Australia in Group D at 7 p.m. — was expected to continue as planned.

Capt. Justin Sylvia, a spokesperson for the Fire Department, confirmed that the agency’s X account had been hacked and that the report was a hoax.

“It’s the second time it’s happened to us in two months,” Sylvia said Thursday.

Sylvia said the department tried to remove the post almost immediately, but it had already disappeared. He speculated that X may have automatically removed it.

The post did not reappear.

Sylvia added that the department has changed its X account password and is continuing to investigate the incident.

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