Fact Check: Despite Wild Tale, Video Doesn’t Show Coca-Cola Truck Holding Children Captive

Claim:

A video authentically shows Illinois police locating a Coca-Cola delivery truck filled with captive children.

Rating:

Miscaptioned ( About this rating? )

Context:

The in-question video of the Coca-Cola truck and police vehicles users shared on social media had nothing to do with anyone holding children captive in a truck. Instead, the clip genuinely showed a police-run toy drive in Davenport, Iowa. The Davenport Police Department managed the event on Dec. 14 and 15, 2024, at NorthPark Mall. A post on the police department’s Facebook page thanked Coca-Cola and other companies for their “support of local youth.”

A rumor circulating online in mid-December 2024 claimed Illinois police — either in the town of Cicero or Decatur — located a Coca-Cola truck filled with captive children. Users sharing this rumor did not specifically mention someone holding the children captive, nor did they specifically claim the matter involved a kidnapping scheme or human-trafficking operation. Nevertheless, users’ social media posts implied captivity.

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