TONAWANDA, N.Y. — A viral YouTube video of two men claiming to follow an alleged sex offender around Amherst and the Town of Tonawanda is not real.
Town of Tonawanda Police posted on their Facebook page Tuesday that they had received several inquiries about the video. Amherst Police said detectives interviewed the people who created the video, and they admitted it wasn't real.
Amherst Police did not respond to 2 On Your Side's request for an on-camera interview, but the department issued a written statement:
The Town of Amherst Police Department has recently received numerous reports of a suspicious “Youtube” video post. The video reportedly depicts two young men following an alleged sex offender around the northtowns, detailing his conduct. These complaints were immediately investigated by the departments Special Victims Unit. The “publisher” of the video was identified as a 21 year old Hamburg man. The subject was interviewed and immediately apologized for any alarm, stating the post was for”entertainment purposes only” and there was no actual sex offender depicted.
The video was removed from YouTube Tuesday afternoon. It had over 2 million views before it was removed.
2 On Your Side reached out to the video's "publisher", Parker Hajiaskari. As of Tuesday evening, he had not responded to our emailed request for comment.
The New York State Department of State lists Hajiaskari as the registered agent of Luxury Productions, Inc., a corporation that owns the "Life of Luxury" YouTube page, according to its "About" section.
Hajiaskari has posted dozens of videos on his "LuxuryPranks" YouTube channel, including two that have more than 10 million views each. In one of his videos, Hajiaskari explains how YouTube demonetized his posts on the "LuxuryPranks" channel, which is why he created the "Life of Luxury" channel.
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