Below Deck Alum João Franco Jailed After Deadly Turkey Brawl

Reality TV fans heard some shocking news out of Turkey because Below Deck alum João Franco and his brother Karlos are currently sitting behind bars after a street brawl turned deadly. Read on to find out more.

It Happened in Bodrum

A scary scene went down on November 7 outside a clothing boutique in the popular coastal town of Bodrum. What started as a heated shouting match between the Franco brothers and shop staff quickly boiled over into physical violence.

The initial report arrived via Voices Newspaper on Facebook, along with photos by Bodrum media. The post explained that “Two foreign tourists were detained in Bodrum after an incident in a clothes shop left a seriously injured teenager having to be revived by medics.”

The text described them as “Portuguese citizens” although both Karlos and João Franco were born in Zimbabwe.

“They were arrested and detained to prison after the incident on Cumhuriyet Street in Çarşı Mahallesi.”

Teen Dies After The Fight

The Independent also wrote about the former Below Deck Med alum, saying that “It is alleged the tourists, reportedly intoxicated, started arguing with shop officials because they were using foul language.”

The fight got serious and escalated. A 17-year-old Turkish national, named Muhammed K., was punched in the head during the fight and fell, striking his head. However, it’s not been revealed publicly who threw that punch.

He suffered a cardiac arrest and had to be saved by EMTs.

However, the outlet also noted that the teen was “transported to a local hospital in critical condition, where he died Monday, according to Turkish news outlet Haberler.”

Arrested And Remanded

The two suspects were taken to Bodrum Courthouse, arrested and remanded to prison. The incident remains under investigation. Security camera footage captured the altercation. Footage shared by Page Six appears to show Karlos throwing the opening punch.

João tried stepping in to break things up at first, though he soon ended up tangled in the brawl himself. It was fast-moving and complicated, and many Below Deck fans felt that the brothers were acting in self-defense.

Bravo Fans React

One person wrote on Page Six’s  Instagram:

I know Joao, he’s been on such a great journey these last few years, anyone normal can see in the video he is trying to break it up. There’s [so] many arms swinging in that video for all that could have happened it could have been one of the locals that caught the 17 year old…

Here are a few more responses from the discussion area:

• “Self defense. No matter who started it, those punk teens swarmed J and his brother…”
• “Watching the video Joao didn’t do anything wrong, he was trying to break up the fight. It looks like the 17yr old got hit by his own friend or whoever they were in black. Joao was just breaking up the fight! They better release him!”
• “This is wild. They were literally being jumped by 5 guys at one point & being hit with stools… the guy that died, fell on his own…Turkey ain’t a place you wanna go to prison man smh I hope they let them go.”

A Rising Career

Bravo viewers remember João Franco from the Below Deck series, and they first saw him on Below Deck Mediterranean about 8 years ago.

Later he was also seen on Below Deck Down Under. He did well with his career at sea, starting out as a deckhand, getting promoted to bosun, and eventually, after leaving reality TV, he became a captain.

The Charges Are Not Yet Clear

Whether he and his brother were responsible for the fight or the death of the teenager will be investigated by the Turkish prosecution. At this time, it’s not clear what charges have been leveled against them.

Let us know what you think in the comments below, and remember to come back here often for all your reality TV news and updates.