Below Deck alum João Franco and his brother, Karlos Franco, have reportedly been arrested in Turkey following a brawl that left a 17-year-old dead.
João, 36, and Karlos were seen engaged in a verbal dispute with the employees of a clothing store in the Bodrum district of Muğla on Saturday, November 7, according to CCTV footage obtained by Page Six.
Local outlets Voices Newspaper and Haberler.com reported that the brothers were using “profanity,” which allegedly caused the argument to escalate to a physical altercation outside the store.
In the footage, Karlos — wearing a dark T-shirt, shorts and a baseball cap — appeared to throw the first punch. João — wearing a white striped collared shirt, shorts and a baseball cap — seemingly attempted to diffuse the altercation by pulling his brother away from the employee. However, the employee then lunged at the siblings, causing multiple other workers to run outside and join the fistfight.
The men were seen punching and kicking each other. One employee picked up a stool and attempted to throw it at the Franco brothers.
Though João seemingly attempted to break up the fight multiple times, he eventually appeared to swing a fist at one employee, causing the person to fall to the ground. The fight ended moments later.
The individual who fell to the ground was a 17-year-old employee who hit his head on some stairs, according to local outlets.
Voices Newspaper reported that the teen sustained a severe head injury and suffered cardiac arrest. He was revived by emergency medical responders before being transported to Muğla Training and Research Hospital in critical condition.
The teen reportedly died in the hospital on Monday, November 9, according to Haberler.com.
João and Karlos were subsequently arrested and taken to Bodrum Courthouse, Page Six reported. They are reportedly awaiting the next steps in prison.
Us reached out to reps for Bravo and João for comment.
João and Karlos were born in Zimbabwe and later relocated to Europe to pursue careers in yachting. João first appeared on Bravo’s Below Deck Mediterranean season 3 in 2018 as a lead deckhand under Captain Sandy Yawn before returning to the show during season 4 in 2019 as a bosun. He then starred on Below Deck Down Under seasons 2 and 4 as a second officer/bosun under Captain Jason Chambers. (Bravo renewed the series for a fifth season in May 2026.)
João announced after season 4 that he would not be returning to the franchise.
“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 told the Mallorca Daily Bulletin in May. “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.”
He continued, “I can’t say much, but I’m now captain of a very large vessel. I started a few months ago, and it’s a rotational position, which is awesome.”
