Video purportedly showing Liam Payne’s fall is old footage – Australian Associated Press

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS STORY CONTAINS MATERIAL THAT MAY BE DISTURBING

AAP FACTCHECK – Footage of a man surviving a building fire by jumping out of a window is being linked on social media to the death of pop star Liam Payne

The footage is unrelated. The video is from September 2023 and shows a man fleeing a building fire in Mexico City.

The video resurfaced on social media after Argentine police confirmed the death of 31-year-old Payne after falling from his third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires on October 17, 2024.

Authorities are still investigating the incident.

In the video, a man can be seen falling from a building window – not a balcony – onto the street. The overlaid text reads “Liam Payne Fall Balcony Video.”

AAP Fact Check conducted a reverse image search that confirmed the video predated Payne’s death by more than a year.

The video dates from September 2023 and shows a man in Mexico City escaping a fire in his home, according to Mexican news reports.

“Man falls from 3rd floor while trying to escape fire in historic center of CDMX [Ciudad de Mexico]“” is a translation of the headline.

The man suffered injuries but survived.

It is one of several clips being used by disinformation spreaders to capitalize on the former One Direction member’s death.

Another such video shows a man tending to a stroller when someone appears to fall out of a nearby window.

The caption reads: “Real shots of falling celebrity…Liam Payne.”

A reverse image search shows the video was posted to TikTok on October 12, days before Payne’s death.

Another post shows a still from a video purporting to show the incident in Buenos Aires. The post’s headline invites viewers to watch the full video via a link in the comments.

But the still image comes from a video showing residents dodging rubble during an earthquake in Turkey.

Australian readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467 or Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for young people aged 5 to 25).

All information, text and images contained on the AAP websites are for personal use only and may not be rewritten, copied, resold or redistributed, framed, linked to, shared on social media or used in any other way, whether for compensation or Compensation type or not, unless you have the prior written approval of AAP. Further information can be found in our General Terms and Conditions.