Eight-Year-Old Boy Fishing in Pennsylvania Lake Reels in a Predator That Never Should Have Been There

An 8-year-old Pennsylvania boy recently reeled in a flesh-eating fish that is native to South America.

Michael Coffey took his son, Seamus, to fish in Ridley Park Lake near Philadelphia when the trip took an unexpected turn, according to ABC News.

“I’m reeling it in, and I think there’s a bass,” Seamus said.

“I was like, ‘Slow down, dude, you might lose it.’ This looks like something we haven’t caught before,” he said he recalled telling his son.

When the fish was reeled in, Michael did not know what it was.

“I was like, ‘Oh, this is a bluegill, I don’t know what this is,’” recalled Michael. “And he said, ‘It’s a piranha!’”

An 8-year-old Pennsylvania boy shocked his father after reeling in a 9.5-inch, 2-pound piranha from Ridley Park Lake. Officials believe it was likely an abandoned exotic pet. pic.twitter.com/ZsCc4hSXKG

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) August 12, 2026

Seamus said he knew how to identify the fish from watching YouTube.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission said it was, in fact, a piranha.

“Our biologists have confirmed that this is some species of piranha,” Mike Parker, a representative of the agency, said.

Parker said the root issue is that someone released an exotic pet where it did not belong.

“I think a lot of times people do, you know, they have a dream: I want to own an exotic fish or a snake or an alligator, and it’s cute when it’s small. But maybe they can’t afford that or house it anymore, and they decide maybe this is someone else’s problem,” Parker said.

Parker said the piranha could not have been released very long ago, given the climate.

“It’s a lifelong responsibility for many of these species that do live fairly long lives and are expensive to take care of, require a special habitat, special food, a lot of care,” Parker said.

“And people quickly tire of that and decide the best thing to do for this animal would be to go throw it in the river, go throw it in a pond. That is probably the worst thing you can do for an animal that’s been a pet,” he said.

As for the fish, Michael said “We ended up getting rid of it, humanely.”

“Even if the law says that you’re allowed to own an exotic pet, whether that be a fish or a reptile, you’re not allowed to introduce that species into the wilds of Pennsylvania. So that is unlawful. You can be fined, prosecuted,” Parker said.

“We’ve had some crazy fishing experiences, but that’s definitely number one,” the boy’s father said, according to ABC News.

Coffey posted images of the catch on Facebook.

“At this point you can’t put anything past Seamus. Today he caught a 2lb red belly piranha out of the Ridley Park Lake! Of all things,” he wrote.

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