Two teenagers are facing charges involving an apparent a social media stunt on the Queensboro Bridge that left a third teen hospitalized.
Video posted on Citizen App showed the rescue mission after a 16-year-old boy fell down a shaft on the bridge Monday night. The victim was still recovering and police say two boys, ages 14 and 15, has been arrested in the case.
The FDNY lowered the 16-year-old to safety from high above the East River after an extensive search. The teen had been trapped in one of the towers, alone in the shaft, after officials say he fell 50 feet.
A GoFundMe page created for the boy and his family says he had been left abandoned for hours.
“After he fell, the people he was with recorded him as he screamed for help. Instead of helping him, they left him there,” the page reads. “By the time help arrived, he had lost a severe amount of blood and was hypothermic.”
An FDNY firefighter later told reporters that the victim was not saying anything when they got to him.
“Just mumbling from the major trauma he experienced,” the firefighter said.
The crowdfunding page says doctors told the family that the boy is expected to live and walk again, but recovery will take time. The boy’s family was focusing on the surgeries he will need, along with the rehabilitation.
A 15-year-old was arrested Wednesday and charged with criminal trespassing. A day later, a 14-year-old was arrested and charged with the same crime, as well as reckless endangerment.
Law enforcement sources told NBC New York that the incident may have been sparked by trying to record a stunt for social media.