Below Deck star Joao Franco and brother arrested in Turkey after fatal fistfight leaves 17-year-old dead
The TV star and his brother were arrested in Turkey after a fistfight outside a clothing store left a 17-year-old employee dead.
A Below Deck star and his brother have been arrested in Turkey following a fistfight that left a 17-year-old teen dead.
Joao Franco, 36, and his brother Karlos Franco reportedly got into an argument with the employees of a clothing store in Mulga, a city in the southwest of Turkey, on Saturday night.
The siblings were allegedly shouting profanities during the altercation which led the disagreement to escalate into a physical fight, according to local media Voices Newspaper and Haberler.com.
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The footage then appears to show Joao attempting to separate his brother from the others involved before seemingly throwing a punch himself.
A man is seen falling to the ground, with the fight breaking up less than a minute after it first began.
It is understood that during the physical dispute a 17-year-old employee sustained a head injury and went into cardiac arrest.
The teenager was reportedly rushed to hospital in critical condition where he soon succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead soon after.
Joao and Karlos were subsequently arrested and are currently in prison, with one source telling Page Six that the brothers are “awaiting the next steps”.
Joao rose to fame after making his debut on Bravo’s hit reality TV series Below Deck Mediterranean in 2018 for the show’s third season before returning for season four.
The Zimbabwe born yacht captain and deckhand also went on to star in the second season of Below Deck Down Under, which premiered in 2023, before starring for the latest fourth season.
In an interview with the Majorca Daily Bulletin, he called it his “final season.”
“The show neatly mirrored my real-world career progression. Across the four series, I moved from deckhand to lead deckhand, bosun, and finally captain,” he said.
“I never wanted to be a deckhand forever, the goal was always the bridge, so I spent every spare moment doing courses to move up.”
His brother Karlos also works in yachting in Dubai.
