Stand up for the facts!

Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.

More Info

I would like to contribute

Ciara O'Rourke
By Ciara O'Rourke June 12, 2024

No, this isn’t a photo of a fatal crash that killed a teen star in the Philippines

If Your Time is short

  • Filipino artist Andrei Sison died in 2023 in the Philippines.

  • A photo online since 2017 shows a car crash in Romania, not Sison’s fatal accident in the Philippines.

A mangled vehicle in the middle of the road appears in an image multiple recent Facebook posts shared. 

"‘It is with heavy hearts that we announce that, following an accident, he has left us!’" the June 9 posts say. "What sad news. He died in a car accident." 

The posts encourage users to "find out in the first comment." 

The comments link to different blogs with the same story that says Filipino artist Andrei Sison died in a car accident in the Philippines. The story gives no date.

These posts were flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

Sign up for PolitiFact texts

Sison’s talent agency said in a statement that Sison was killed in an early morning car crash March 24, 2023. Sison, who was known for his livestreams and TikTok dance covers, had been taping a variety show in Quezon City the night before, according to news reports.

The photo in the Facebook posts, meanwhile, has been online since January 2017. It appeared on a Romanian website in connection with a crash that reportedly injured two military airmen near Cernavodǎ, Romania.   

We rate claims this photo shows the scene of the crash that killed Sison False.

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Ciara O'Rourke

No, this isn’t a photo of a fatal crash that killed a teen star in the Philippines

Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!

In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.

Sign me up