Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
When 8-year-old angler Seamus Coffey reeled in a 2-pound, red-bellied creature with menacing teeth last weekend, he knew exactly what he had caught. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a piranha!\u201d Mike Coffey recalled his son screaming on the banks of Ridley Park<\/a> Lake. <\/p>\n Surely, his father thought, Seamus was mistaken \u2014 this must just be a bluegill or sunfish or a bass. A quick reverse image search confirmed Seamus\u2019 hunch. <\/p>\n \u201cNo, Dad,\u201d Seamus, who loves watching fishing videos on YouTube, insisted, \u201cthat\u2019s a piranha.\u201d <\/p>\n The Folsom family\u2019s latest catch has become a national sensation: After Seamus made the front page<\/a> of the Delaware County Daily Times<\/a> (his dad bought seven copies), their story was picked up by the likes of 6abc <\/a>and CBS Philadelphia<\/a>. TV reporters and Facebook<\/a> commenters warned: \u201cYou\u2019re about to go viral.\u201d Eventually, the story found its way to Fox News<\/a>, the New York Post<\/a>, and Inside Edition<\/a>. <\/p>\n Now, Seamus is a budding influencer and wannabe YouTuber. Brands are sending him fishing gear, according to de facto manager and agent Mike, who is fielding media requests and running a GoFundMe for filming equipment<\/a>. Their new Instagram persona, @ReelTalkPiranha<\/a>, bills them as the \u201cfather-and-son duo who took down the infamous Delco Piranha.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cI understand it\u2019s an extremely, extremely rare circumstance to catch the fish that we did, but we did not expect anything like this,\u201d Mike Coffey said of their virality. <\/p>\n Seamus, meanwhile, has not quite internalized his newfound fame. His bashful TV appearances have been clipped for social media \u2014 \u201cI\u2019m everywhere,\u201d Coffey recalled his son saying while scrolling on the couch \u2014 but he \u201cdoesn\u2019t really understand how big it is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s 8,\u201d Coffey said. <\/p>\n Saturday, Aug. 8, started as a normal day of fishing for the Coffeys. Armed with frozen shrimp, they cast their reels hoping to maybe catch a catfish. After a little more than an hour, Seamus pulled in the piranha.<\/p>\n Mike Parker, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission , said biologists visually confirmed it was a \u201cspecies of piranha.\u201d No other piranhas have been reported at the lake. <\/p>\n The South American tropical fish was likely a pet whose owner dumped it in the Delco lake \u2014 a crime punishable by misdemeanor charges or fines, according to Parker. <\/p>\n \u201cIf you have one of these exotic pets and you can no longer take care of it \u2026 you have to understand you\u2019re responsible for that animal,\u201d Parker warned. \u201cReleasing it isn\u2019t only illegal, but it\u2019s really cruel.\u201d <\/p>\n