Why Jessica Radcliffe’s Orca 'attack' clip went viral and what your brain does in moments of shock

A video has gone viral on social media which purportedly shows a marine trainer named Jessica Radcliffe getting attacked, and even getting killed, by 'killer whale' orca during a live show. The video seems to capture a violent incident at a marine park during a live show.

But here's the main twist- none of them was real. Investigations later revealed that the video is fabricated and is 100 percent made up. The trainer’s name, the marine park, even the supposed attack, all of it was pure fiction generated by artificial intelligence.

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Fact-checking investigations have since confirmed that such an event never took place, and there are no official records, news reports, or credible sources confirming the existence of Jessica Radcliffe or the alleged attack. The hoax seems to draw on elements from actual incidents involving orcas and their trainers

The video which went viral on social media platforms like Twitter, TikTok and Facebook is fake and fabricated, meaning a hoax. But the question now remains- why do people keep falling for these traps?

The anatomy of the hoax

The video allegedly starts with a vague and an unsettling clip which shows a woman trainer "balancing" on orca's snout during a live show. Then, suddenly in a horror-movie fashion, the whale lunges. Picture the slow-motion shots, the staged gasps from a pretend crowd, the ominous voiceovers — in this case, it was an outrageous claim about menstrual blood luring the predator. It’s classic clickbait theatre and you should not fall for it, according to TOI.

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Another reason why people were not able to understand that Jessica Redcliffe's video was fake is because the hoax hits a nerve and it hijacks a very real fear. It echoes documented orca fatalities such as deaths of Dawn Brancheau (SeaWorld, 2010) and Alexis Martínez (Loro Parque, 2009) which are stored in public memory.

How human brain reacts to viral misinformation?

Human wires are wired to react to sensational content, studies have shown. According to Center of Human Technology, negative information gets more attention and shapes emotion and behavior more powerfully than positive information does. Human brains pay more attention to fearful, dangerous stimuli to stay safe and we remember things that hurt us more than things that help us so we can predict future consequences.

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For instance, dramatic footages, emotional triggers, barely-convincing audio are all key ingredients for viral content. Mix in AI’s eerily lifelike imagery, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a hoax that rockets across the internet before fact-checkers even open their laptops. Even Forbes has warned that “false news spreads far faster than corrections.”

How to spot a fake video before it fools you?

Think you’ve stumbled on the next “Jessica Radcliffe” shocker? Start with the red flags.

Watch for wild claims — like saying menstrual blood triggered a killer whale attack. That’s pure fiction bait.

Reverse-search the footage — hoaxers often stitch together old clips, slap on a sensational headline, and call it breaking news.

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Check the metadata — if it’s a real deadly event, there’ll be massive headlines, official statements, and evidence. If none exist, that’s your clue.

Study the audio and visuals — off-sync voiceovers, fuzzy edges, mismatched lighting, or odd shadows scream deepfake.

The more sensational the claim, the more you should doubt it — until you’ve checked the facts yourself.