Eight Arrested After TikTok Urban Exploring Incident at Spring Property

SPRING, Texas – Six 17-year-olds and two juvenile males were arrested Tuesday after deputies responded to reports of multiple people trespassing at a closed business in Spring in what authorities said was part of a growing social media trend known as “urbex,” or urban exploring.

Deputies with Constable Mark Herman’s Office were dispatched on July 28 to the 18900 block of the North Freeway (Interstate 45 North) after receiving reports that several individuals had entered the property of MainStreet America, a closed private business.

According to the constable’s office, the incident is part of a trend known as urbex, short for urban exploring, in which people visit off-limits, hidden or abandoned man-made structures, document their experiences and share the content on social media.

When deputies arrived, they established a perimeter around the property and located the group. As deputies issued commands, two of the suspects fled on foot.

Authorities deployed ICEMAN, the constable’s Drone Unit, which quickly tracked the fleeing suspects and directed deputies to their location. All eight individuals were taken into custody without further incident.

The suspects were identified as 17-year-old Parker Johnson, 17-year-old Austin Burns, 17-year-old Wyatt Anawaty, 17-year-old Brett Zirlott, 17-year-old Jace McPherson, 17-year-old Malcolm Knight and two juvenile males.

Johnson, Burns, Anawaty, Zirlott, McPherson and Knight were each charged with criminal trespass and booked into the Harris County Jail.

Anawaty and Zirlott were also charged with evading arrest on foot after allegedly fleeing from deputies.

According to the constable’s office, each adult received a $100 bond on the criminal trespass charge. Anawaty and Zirlott each received an additional $100 bond on the evading charge. The two juveniles were also charged with criminal trespass.

“This serves as a reminder that social media trends are not a defense for criminal activity,” Constable Mark Herman said in a statement. “Trespassing is a crime, and anyone who chooses to unlawfully enter private property in Precinct 4 should expect to be arrested.”