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In a world where mugshot barely register on the news spectrum, one woman’s story has gripped the internet. The clip-gone-viral has been friendly with her widely smiling image facing a police booking shot — not for a crime, but rather given the bizarre specifics of her arrest: a method of mixing Skittles and Coke Zero. The bizarre combination — which she called a “fun experiment” — wound up with her in the hands of law enforcement in a small town in Ohio.
The incident began in late January 2025, when the then-28-year-old Emma Johnson (mugshot girl) wanted to test out a popular internet hack that said mixing Skittles with Coca-Cola Zero would create a colorful, carbonated beverage. The myth, which recently went viral on social media apps like TikTok and Instagram, claimed that the combination would create a rainbow-like effect. Emma, a self-described “science enthusiast,” was curious to see how well it would work in a local park.
That all changed, though, when a bystander witnessed Emma pouring a bag of Skittles into a 2-liter bottle of Coke Zero. Concerned that she might be doing something dangerous, and possibly illegal, the witness called the police. By the time officers got to Emma, she was jostling the bottle vigorously, making foam spill out of what the officer called “the neck” of the bottle. Worried the mix could be an explosive or potentially dangerous cocktail, they held her for further interrogation.
Emma was arrested at her local police station, and she told them she was just taking part in a viral challenge. The authorities chose to keep her overnight, however, while they tested the mixture for dangerous substances, despite her explanation. While she was being booked, Emma’s cheery disposition and bright smile would be the talk of the officer conducting her mug shot. The photo, in which she’s grinning ear to ear, quickly went viral after the post was made to their social media accounts.
The mugshot went viral within hours, with users praising Emma for her sprightly attitude and cracking jokes about the unusual reason she was arrested. Social media started trending with memes and hashtags including #SkittlesGate and #CokeZeroExperiment on Twitter and Instagram. Many users defended Emma, calling her arrest an overreaction, and others joked about the incident.
In an interview after the release, Emma said, “I never knew my passion for science and candy would land me in prison! I was just trying to have some fun and see if it worked with the trend. I learned my lesson, I guess — no mixing my Skittles and Coke Zero next time.”
The police department then declared that mixing Skittles and Coke Zero was not dangerous but cautioned against trying similar experiments in public. “While this case was innocent, we ask that everyone be considerate of their actions, especially in the public,” Officer Mark Thompson, who handled the case, said in a statement.
Emma’s story has sparked a larger conversation about the power of social media trends and the extremes individuals are willing to take for viral fame. It has also revived discussions of police responses to low-risk scenarios. Some say there was no need to arrest the man, while others said the officers did what they should have done in their investigation of the incident.
Emma, for her part, has embraced her newfound fame. She has even started a YouTube channel where she will test other viral trends — safely and legally, of course. The first video, “Skittles and Coke Zero: The Truth Behind the Trend,” has already been viewed millions of times.
In the end, Emma’s viral mugshot is a reminder that the most unlikely — or best — moments can become global news. An oddball experiment, a sunny smile in the face of hardship: The internet never fails to uncover the humorous and the humane in the ordinary.
