A rumor circulated online in August 2025 claiming an orca — also known as a killer whale — fatally attacked a marine trainer named Jessica Radcliffe in front of a crowd. According to the story, Radcliffe was living out her childhood dreams training killer whales.

A viral video of an orca attacking marine trainer Jessica Radcliffe was debunked as an AI-generated hoax. The clip showed a young trainer performing with a killer whale at the so-called Pacific Blue Marine Park.

While this orca attack report is fake, there have been past instances where trainers have been killed by orcas – most notably the Dawn Brancheau case.