16-year-old charged with mischief after apparently faking his own kidnapping

Police in York Region have arrested a teenager because they say he faked his own kidnapping.

Officers say they were called to a home on Huntington Park Drive, near Leslie and John streets, on Sept. 27, where they were shown a video of a 16-year-old Chinese student who was blindfolded and tied to a chair.

The video had been sent to the student’s parents by social media.

Along with the video was a text message demanding $1-million for his release.

Police located the teen about an hour later at a restaurant in Richmond Hill, where they determined he staged the kidnapping to try and get money from his parents.

The student, who cannot be named because of his age, now faces a charge of public mischief.