An 18-year-old man on the FBI's Most Wanted list was arrested Thursday morning in north Columbus.
Brayden Grace is charged with conspiracy, interstate stalking, interstate threatening communication and interstate threat involving fire or explosives for his alleged involvement with swatting calls and threats made across the country. He was taken into custody by FBI agents and Columbus police officers.
Swatting is the act of calling 911 to report a false threat to get heavily armed police to show up to a specific location or home.
Schools, homes and businesses are often the targets of these false reports. While swatting more often results in emotional distress and minor property damage, there have been some instances of targets of swatting calls who have ended up being killed.
Grace has been linked to an online group called “Purgatory,” that allegedly coordinates swatting calls.
Co-defendants, 18-year-old Owen Jarboe, of Hagerstown, Maryland and 26-year-old Evan Strauss, of Moneta, Virginia, have also been linked to the group.
The group has been shown to use several social media sites to plan and take credit for swatting calls, as well as advertise their services.
According to an unsealed indictment, Grace appeared to claim co-ownership of the group, messaging “But @everyone @Ex-Nightmare [Strauss] is owner im [sic] co-owner… of purgatory.” Court records also indicate the group was active from around December 10 of 2023 to January 18 of 2024.
Grace and the group are accused of multiple offenses, including a shooting and bomb threat against the Hollywood Casino in Columbus, Ohio.
The group is also accused of making a threat to burn down a trailer park in Alabama, a shooting threat against a teacher and students at a high school in the state of Delaware, a shooting and bomb threat at New York's Albany International Airport and a homicide and shooting threat against people at a home in Eastman, Georgia.