'My credibility is sort of shot': Former NASA engineer behind the viral YouTube glitter bomb video admits some of it was faked

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'My credibility is sort of shot': Former NASA engineer behind the viral YouTube glitter bomb video admits some of it was faked

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GLITTER BOMB THUMB

YouTube/Mark Rober

A composite image of Mark Rober explaining his plan, and the glitter bomb in action.

  • Mark Rober, the former NASA engineer who built a glitter bomb package that explodes after it has been stolen, has admitted that elements of his viral video were faked.
  • Two of the so-called "thieves" filmed stealing the box were actually in on the prank.
  • Rober said they were roped in by a friend of a friend, who offered to place the package on their porch.
  • The YouTuber has re-edited the video and apologized to viewers.

It is one of the viral videos of the year, but elements of it were unwittingly faked.

That's the admission of Mark Rober, the former NASA engineer who built a glitter bomb package that explodes after it has been stolen from a front porch.

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The YouTube sensation has more than 40 million views, but three days after being posted, Rober said elements of the prank section of the video were not as they seemed.

Much of the video focuses on Rober creating the package, but the payoff comes towards the end, when he secretly records it in action in the hands of unsuspecting thieves.

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In a statement published on Twitter, Rober said not all of the package prank victims were real thieves.

A friend of a friend offered to place the package on their porch, and in return, Rober paid them for successfully recovering the device. It turns out that Rober's acquaintance roped in some friends to steal the box, and two of these fake participants made the final cut of the video.

"It appears (and I've since confirmed) in these two cases, the 'thieves' were actually acquaintances of the person helping me," Rober said. He has since cut them from the video.

"I'm really sorry about this," he added. "I am responsible for the content that goes on my channel and I should have done more here. I can vouch that the reactions were genuine when the package was taken from my house. Having said that, I know my credibility is sort of shot."

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You can read Mark Rober's full statement here:

Here's the edited version of his viral video:

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