Overview

Dan Hentschel Bel Air Police Investigation refers to the Bel Air, Maryland Police Department's criminal investigation into prolific hoaxster and Twitter / X comedian Dan Hentschel, who shared a viral tweet and video from the John Carroll School's football field bleachers about how he once thought about shooting up the school when he was enrolled there. Hentschel is a parody artist known for his viral stunts online that are not usually based on truth. Regardless, the Bel Air Police Department posted to Facebook about Dan Hentschel's posts in January 2025, announcing a formal investigation into Hentschel for "threats of violence." Hentschel posted a screenshot of the Facebook post on X soon after, writing, "Hey y'all I need a lawyer!" The event sparked viral discourse, memes and reactions in subsequent days as it spread online. Some believed that it was all an elaborate bit akin to Hentschel's other, heavily involved trolling attempts and pranks.

Background

On December 23rd, 2024, Dan Hentschel posted a tweet^[1] on his account @danghentschel, reading, "My high school bleachers are empty tonight. But the night I brought an AK47 to the homecoming game, they weren't. Thankfully, I never took it out of my car. But every Christmas, when my wife and children are asleep, I come back and imagine the world where I did." The tweet attached a dark-lit selfie of Hentshcel sitting on bleachers. The tweet amassed over 215,000 likes in two weeks (shown below).

On January 3rd, 2025, Hentschel posted a video on X^[2] captioned, "I was almost a sch00l sh00ter," using Algospeak or 1337 speak. The video was from the same character in the abovementioned tweet, relaying the same story about how 13 years ago, Hentschel almost shot up the bleachers at his high school. The video received over 5.9 million views and 51,000 likes in three days (shown below).

I was almost a sch00l sh00ter. pic.twitter.com/8eu3l4sauI

— Dan Hentschel (@danghentschel) January 3, 2025

Bel Air Police Department Facebook Post

On January 5th, 2025, the Bel Air Police Department in Maryland posted a "School Safety Concern" on Facebook^[3] addressing the video made by Dan Hentschel, which was reportedly filmed at the John Carroll School. The post identified Hentschel as Daniel George Hentschel and stated he was a former student. The police announced that they were investigating Hentschel for "threats of violence." The post received over 1,400 reactions in a day (shown below).

Dan Hentschel's "Hey Y'all I Need A Lawyer" Tweet

On January 5th, 2025, Dan Hentschel tweeted^[4] a screenshot of the Bel Air Police Department's Facebook post, captioning it, "Hey y'all I need a lawyer!!" The tweet received over 56,000 likes in a day (shown below).

Online Reactions

Dan Hentschel's tweet about needing a lawyer sparked viral reactions on X / Twitter in the following hours and days. For instance, on January 5th, 2025, X^[4] user @joahsef replied to Hentschel's tweet with their own screenshot of the Facebook post, writing, "Oh this is actually real," receiving over 8,400 likes in a day.

Also on January 5th, X^[5] user @illjoy_ quote tweeted Hentschel's tweet with a screenshot of her 2025 predictions that included Dan Hentschel getting arrested. The tweet received over 42,000 likes in a day (shown below).

Later on January 5th, 2025, Dan Hentschel's mutual @GraceGFreud tweeted^[6] about Hentschel's post, writing, "Dan is my friend and I love him very much. He does actually need a lawyer. Please reach out to him if you can help." The quote tweet amassed over 15,000 likes in a day (shown below).

On January 5th, X^[7] user @krus_chiki also chimed in on the matter, writing, "Lmfao that Dan Hentschel video is gonna get him put in jail," receiving over 30,000 likes in a day. In a reply, @krus_chiki added a screenshot of comments on the original Facebook post from worried citizens (shown below).

Some like X^[8] user @durandalcomplex believed that the Facebook post could be a part of an elaborate Dan Hentschel bit.

Search Interest

External References