A clout-chasing influencer is facing criminal charges for disrupting several Arizona businesses in pranks that likely made him big bucks online, according to authorities.
Heston Cobb — known as “Heston James” to his 1.6 million followers on TikTok — was arrested Wednesday at his home after months of disrupting local Tempe businesses during caught-on-camera staged pranks, the Tempe Police Department said in a statement.
From March to July 2025, Cobb and a group of pranksters walked into businesses like Pep Boys, Big Brand Tire, Jiffy Lube, and Chipotle dressed as employees, storming into staff-only areas and playing out fake work scenes, cops said.
“These men began seriously disrupting their businesses by entering employee-only areas and refusing to leave when asked,” police said.
“The videos garnered millions of views and potentially generated large amounts of money.”
In one stunt, Cobb dressed as a mechanic and barged into Hyland Auto Repair, telling a real employee he was “from corporate” before a van of pranksters pulled up to the business and began to crawl under customers’ cars, according to the social media post with over 12 million views.
“These videos are definitely not pranks. They are crossing the line from something that’s fun and playful into criminal territory. They’re breaking laws,” Tempe Police Officer Jessica Ells told AZ Family.
“They are going into these businesses and impersonating the employees. That actually is a felony charge.”
Another video captured Cobb and a fake cleaning crew entering a Chipotle and grabbing random supplies while claiming they were there to clean.
Real workers at the establishment screamed for them to get out while on the phone with cops as Cobb yelled at his group to “get to work,” according to the Instagram post.
Cobb was charged with five counts of disorderly conduct, five counts of criminal trespass, two counts of criminal impersonation, and one count of burglary, records indicate.
The investigation remains ongoing, and more arrests and charges could be pending, AZ family reported.
The department issued a warning to influencers chasing clout.
“This is actually going to get you charges, so are you ready to face the fact that you could be going to jail for a prank just to get some views?” Ells said, according to the outlet..
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