38 Minutes Before Epstein Story Broke, It Was on 4Chan

'dont ask me how I know, but Epstein died an hour ago'
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 13, 2019 2:34 PM CDT
Updated Aug 17, 2019 11:15 AM CDT
News of Epstein's Death Appeared on 4Chan First
This March 28, 2017, file photo, provided by the New York State Sex Offender Registry shows Jeffrey Epstein.   (New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP, File)

ABC News reporter Aaron Katersky was the first to tweet about Jeffrey Epstein's death, at 8:54am on Saturday. But it turns out he didn't break the news. BuzzFeed reports that at 8:16am, a post was made on 4chan that read "dont ask me how I know, but Epstein died an hour ago from hanging, cardiac arrest. Screencap this." (See screenshots here.) An image of Pepe the frog was beside it. Five more posts followed in an apparent attempt to prove the veracity of the statement amid doubts voiced by other 4chan users, who can make posts anonymously. The poster provided information on the resuscitation effort—writing, for instance, that the effort to revive Epstein lasted 60 minutes—leading to speculation the poster could be a first responder.

The NYC Fire Department went so far as to review whether the info came from one of its own but determined it did not. BuzzFeed reached out to the head of the union for EMT workers, the medical examiner's office, the Metropolitan Correctional Center, and the New York Presbyterian Hospital; most had no comment. BuzzFeed notes that whether the substance of those posts is true won't be known until the final coroner's report is out. Meanwhile, Attorney General William Barr on Tuesday instructed the Bureau of Prisons to temporarily reassign the warden in charge of the Metropolitan Correctional Center where Epstein was being held. Lamine N’Diaye is being moved to a regional office while an investigation into Epstein's death is conducted, reports the Washington Post. The two staffers on shift in Epstein's unit have been put on administrative leave. (More Jeffrey Epstein stories.)

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