AUSTIN, Texas — It’s been viewed more than 5 million times in just a few days: a viral video on TikTok claims a Texas police officer is fighting for his life after having his drink spiked by a woman at a bar.
The video claims the police officer was at the bar and spiked a woman’s drink, not knowing that the locals referred to her as “the hot chemist.” TikTok user Robby Witt narrated the video and even said in a sequel that the woman had been arrested.
Is a story about the hot chemist and an exploding drink real?
The video claims the “chemist” developed a solution that looks like a drink which causes the glass to explode once it’s spiked. She puts her glass on the bar top as a sign for the locals to “clear the area” because they know what’s next.
The officer then spikes the drink, which leads to shards of glass cutting up his neck. We can debunk this story quickly with the help of popular chemist and former University of Texas at Austin professor Dr. Kate Biberdorf.
“100% bulls-,” Biberdorf said. “There is nothing I could add to my drink that would still be safe to drink AND cause an immediate explosion.”
Witt also states in his bio on multiple social media platforms that he produces fictional stories and satire known as “60 Second Sitcoms.” If you dig a little further, you learn Witt graduated from the University of California, Riverside, and is a social media and marketing expert.
What about cases of people spiking drinks in Texas?
We found no evidence of police officers spiking drinks at a bar, but a pair of recent cases in Texas have garnered national attention when it comes to spiked drink allegations.
In February, a Houston attorney took a plea deal after prosecutors said he drugged his wife’s drinks multiple times to induce an abortion while she was pregnant with their third child.
In March, a mom in San Antonio was arrested for allegedly spiking a sports drink as revenge against her son’s classmate who claimed she was protecting her son from a bully.
Earlier this year, Austin created a new pilot program called Sip Safely amid a reported increase in spiked drinks. Police have also been looking for a woman accused of drugging and robbing men in Downtown Austin since 2022.