SerpApi.Org
Claim:
A video authentically shows a man destroying Flock cameras in the U.S.
Rating:
Miscaptioned (About this rating?)
Context:
While people have truly vandalized surveillance cameras from the U.S.-based Flock technology company, the video showed a man vandalizing a different company's cameras in London.
In July 2026, people shared a video allegedly showing a man destroying Flock surveillance cameras. The clip shows several nighttime shots of a man appearing to hold a saw and pushing over cut-through tall black poles with cameras near the top. The video only shows the man pushing the cut poles over, not any sawing.
Flock is a a U.S.-based technology company that offers products including motion-activated license plate readers that feature a surveillance camera and solar panel affixed near the top of a pole. Flock's website describes the company as "a public safety technology company that builds connected camera, audio and investigative systems to help communities respond to and investigate safety incidents using objective evidence."
For example, on July 13, an X user posted (archived) the video with the caption, "Vigilantes are smashing Flock cameras, the automated license plate trackers spying on drivers." Other users shared the rumor on Facebook (archived), TikTok (archived), X (archived) and YouTube (archived).
In sum, while vandals have truly cut down Flock cameras in the U.S., according to credible reports, the in-question video showed a man destroying a different company's surveillance technology in London. In other words, the video was a genuine (real) clip with no signs of artificial intelligence or other fakery, but social media users posted it with inaccurate text descriptions. As a result, we've rated the video miscaptioned.
A reverse image search indicated the video originated from the FrankyBoy NoULEZ YouTube channel on July 12. The channel's "NoULEZ" name references opposition of cameras for London's Ultra Low Emission Zone, a government-sanctioned clean air project launched in 2019. The clip also appeared on the user's Instagram and TikTok pages.
In a TikTok message, FrankyBoyNoULEZ confirmed to Snopes that he originally posted the video and that it shows the destruction of cameras in London.
In the video, a narrator speaks as ULEZ poles fall to the ground after a man shown in the video cuts each one down. The first clip shows a red-and-white triangular sign matching those found in the U.K.
Speaking in a jocular manner, as if the man were trying to save the poles from falling in a storm, the narrator says in part, "Oh my God. The storm in Havering is severe. They're really falling over. He did try and help that one though." The video then cuts to daytime, showing an in-jest sticker affixed to the downed poles and displaying a dotted line for cutting, including the words, "Please do NOT cut this down using a reciprocating saw fitted with an 18 tooth blade as that would be Terrible!!!"
The same user's Instagram, TikTok and YouTube pages also featured another popular video showing some of the same clips.
London's ULEZ cameras
The Transport for London government website says the purpose of ULEZ is to improve air quality by allowing authorities to identify and fine the owners of vehicles that don't meet emissions standards. The same website mentions Siemens and Yunex Traffic as companies purportedly involved in the technology's creation. (The name of Siemens' Intelligent Traffic Systems division changed to Yunex Traffic in 2021.)
Opponents of the program have expressed concern about privacy and the financial burden the fines place on commuters. In past years, London officials have dealt with individuals vandalizing at least hundreds of ULEZ cameras. Those individuals, referenced in reports as "vigilantes," reportedly call themselves "Blade Runners."
In late June 2026, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, citing a new study, credited ULEZ and clean air policies as leading to "an approximate 40% reduction in the number of estimated deaths linked to air pollution between 2019 and 2024."
Notes near the bottom of the report specified the findings "does not isolate the impact of ULEZ or any single policy," "does not attribute the reduction to specific policies" and "models the total impact of all factors influencing air pollution, including long-term trends and multiple policy interventions."
For further reading, we previously investigated whether Flock provides Ring doorbell access to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
Sources:
"2 Flock Safety Cameras Were 'Intentionally' Cut down in Chesterfield County: What We Know." YouTube, WBTV News - Charlotte, 7 July 2026, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMDQ_ZE5T9Q.
"Anti-Ulez 'Blade Runner' Vigilantes Vandalise Cameras in London." YouTube, The Telegraph, 30 Aug. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKpKxgSSH64.
"Blade Runners: One Man Destroys EVERY SINGLE ULEZ Camera In His London Borough." YouTube, TalkTV, 4 Oct. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldOHZZQpXgg.
"FOI Request Detail: Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) Cameras." Transport for London, 5 Dec. 2024, https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/foi-request-detail?referenceId=FOI-2742-2425.
"FOI Request Detail: Yunex ULEZ Cameras." Transport for London, 26 Oct. 2023, https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transparency/freedom-of-information/foi-request-detail?referenceId=FOI-2394-2324.
Gramegna, Adam. "Air Force Engineer Accused of Cutting Down 13 Police Cameras Says They're Unconstitutional." Military.com, 7 July 2026, https://www.military.com/air-force-engineer-accused-of-cutting-down-13-police-cameras-says-they-are-unconstitutional.
"Health Burden of Air Pollution in London in 2024." London City Hall, 24 June 2026, https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/environment-and-climate-change/environment-and-climate-change-case-studies-test/health-burden-air-pollution-london-2024.
Huebner, Alexander, and John Revill. "Siemens Renames Mobility Signaling Unit Yunex Traffic as Part of Carve-Out." Reuters, 12 Feb. 2021, https://www.reuters.com/article/technology/siemens-renames-mobility-signaling-unit-yunex-traffic-as-part-of-carve-out-idUSKBN2AC10T/.
Lawless, Jill. "London's Plan to Charge Drivers of Polluting Cars Sparks Protests and Stirs Political Passions." The Associated Press, 29 Aug. 2023, https://apnews.com/article/london-air-pollution-car-levy-protests-1483dbefd7087393f104ac0379fe82c4.
"Mayor Hails Huge Success of Landmark ULEZ and Bold Clean Air Policies as Deaths Linked to Toxic Air Fall by around 40 per Cent." London City Hall, 24 June 2026, https://www.london.gov.uk/Mayor%20hails%20huge%20success%20of%20landmark%20ULEZ%20and%20bold%20clean%20air%20policies%20as%20deaths%20linked%20to%20toxic%20air%20fall%20by%20around%2040%20per%20cent.
"More Flock Cameras Cut down in Houston amid Privacy Concerns." YouTube, ABC13 Houston, 11 July 2026, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvPvmgD1BBc.
"Solar Powered Surveillance." Flock Safety, 13 Mar. 2019, https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/solar-powered-surveillance.
"Why Do We Have a ULEZ?" Transport for London, https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone/why-we-have-ulez.
