“Below Deck” alum Colin Macy-O’Toole is speaking out on João Franco’s arrest, claiming he believes his friend was trying to keep the peace amid a fistfight that led to a 17-year-old’s death.
“Having seen the video footage, my impression is that João appeared to be trying to defend himself and de-escalate an already escalating situation,” Macy-O’Toole, who was not present for the altercation, told Page Six.
“From what is visible, it doesn’t look to me like he was looking to start a confrontation. It looks like he was reacting to what was happening around him.”
Macy-O’Toole worked as a junior deckhand with Franco, who was the lead deckhand, during Season 3 of Bravo’s Mediterranean Sea-based yacht show. They also filmed together during Season 4, where Franco served as bosun.
The two have remained close over the years, with Macy-O’Toole even referring to Franco as “my personal hairdresser and one of my best friends.”
“Knowing João, I think it’s important that people take the full context of the footage into consideration before jumping to conclusions or assigning blame,” Macy-O’Toole continued. “This is an incredibly tragic situation, and I hope the facts are allowed to come out before anyone rushes to judgment.”
Franco, 36, and his brother Karlos were arrested in Turkey after an altercation with employees outside a clothing store in the Bodrum district of Muğla on Saturday night.
Things quickly turned physical, and in CCTV footage exclusively obtained by Page Six, Karlos — wearing a dark T-shirt, shorts and a baseball cap — appeared to throw the first punch.
João — wearing a white collared shirt, shorts and a baseball cap — seemingly tried to break things up as others jumped into the chaos.
After several failed attempts to de-escalate the situation, João appeared to swing his fist, causing one of the men to be knocked to the ground.
Local outlets reported that the person on the ground hit his head on a set of stairs. He was reportedly one of the store’s employees that night.
Voices Newspaper subsequently reported that the teenager sustained a severe head injury and went into cardiac arrest. He was revived by emergency medical responders before being transported to Muğla Training and Research Hospital in critical condition.
On Monday, Haberler.com reported the teen died of his injuries at the hospital.
João and Karlos are currently behind bars after appearing in court.
Sources told Page Six the brothers are “awaiting next steps” in their case.
Reps for Bravo, the municipal police in Bodrum, and the local prison and court did not return requests for comment.
Leave a Reply