FACT CHECK: No, Video Does Not Show Water Spilling Out Of Bathtub During Recent California Earthquake

A video shared on X allegedly shows footage of a bathtub spilling water recorded in San Francisco during the state’s 7.0 magnitude earthquake in December 2024.

🚨 Footage from the 21st floor in a Penthouse in San Francisco, California being hit by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake 👀🙏 #earthquake pic.twitter.com/TxQV5SneKq

— The Local Clips Plug🔌 (@localclipsplug) December 5, 2024

Verdict: False

The video is miscaptioned. It actually shows an earthquake that took place in February 2021 in Japan.

Fact Check:

A 7.0 magnitude earthquake took place off the coast of Ferndale, California on Thursday morning, prompting tsunami warnings, but no injuries or deaths were reported nearest the epicenter, according to NBC News. The Tsunami Warning Center canceled the tsunami warning at 11:55 a.m., but thousands are left without power, the outlet reported.

An X video allegedly shows footage of the recent earthquake in California. The video appears to be taken from inside an apartment building, showing a bathtub with soapy water sloshing violently and spilling onto the floor.

“Footage from the 21st floor in a Penthouse in San Francisco, California being hit by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake,” the caption reads.

The video is not recent. It was posted to YouTube in February 2021, its title indicating that it shows footage of an earthquake in Japan. It was also posted to the subreddit r/Wellthatsucks and by The Weather Channel that same month. (RELATED: Video Shows Water Swaying During Earthquake In Japan, Not Taiwan)

The same clip has been circulated in the past with incorrect captions. AFP Fact Check debunked a claim that the video depicted an earthquake in Japan that took place in January 2024.

Miscaptioned clips of earthquakes have spread many times previously. Check Your Fact previously debunked a video allegedly showing a 2023 earthquake in the Philippines when it actually depicted one that happened in Taiwan in 2022.