Two Pennsylvania teenagers are facing criminal charges after taking part in a deadly social media trend that killed one and permanently injured another.
A 17-year-old boy was killed and a 20-year-old woman was left with a catastrophic brain injury after taking part in the TikTok ‘surfing’ challenge, where participants tie objects or themselves to cars while speeding.
The two accidents were unrelated but happened in Northampton County.
David Nagy, 17, was riding on a table tied to the back of his friend’s car in the parking lot of Bethlehem’s Freedom High School’s parking lot on June 1, NBC 10 reported.
The unidentified driver, who is also 17, allegedly ‘whipped’ Nagy into another parked vehicle, resulting in a fatal head injury, according to District Attorney Stephen Baratta. The driver faces involuntary manslaughter charges.
The other accident occurred on March 18, when 19-year-old Eniya Serina Alvarado allegedly drove 35mph in a Park and Ride parking lot while her 20-year-old friend stood on her car’s trunk.
The friend was thrown from the vehicle and suffered permanent catastrophic head injuries, according to the police.
Alvarado faces charges of aggravated assault and aggravated assault by vehicle.
David Nagy, 17, was killed partaking in a TikTok ‘surfing’ challenge, where participants tied objects or themselves to cars while speeding
The viral social media trend left a 17-year-old boy dead and a 20-year-old woman with a catastrophic brain injury, according to police
Both teens were not accused of ‘criminogenic thinking,’ or planning to hurt their friends, FOX reported, but they are ‘allegedly criminally culpable’ because the accidents were ‘so grossly negligent and reckless.’
‘The families did have a closeness and a trust with these close friends — I mean they knew them very well,’ Baratta told FOX 29. ‘That’s what’s so heartbreaking in this case.’
‘It’s important for the public to understand that these challenges can have severe, real-world consequences, creating significant risk to participants and sometimes the bystanders as well.’
Both cases are expected to be resolved outside of court, without going to trial.
Since they are first-time offenders, they may be eligible to have their criminal charges expunged.
The teens’ parents and the DA hope these tragedies shine a light on the dangers in glorified social media stunts.
A TikTok spokesperson told FOX News the car-surfing videos violate the company’s community guidelines and that 99.8% of them are removed proactively, and 92.4% of videos removed for violating the app’s rules are taken down before anyone views them.
