Officials said Tuesday that a 16-year-old boy rescued from a 50-foot shaft on the Queensboro Bridge had planned to share the risky stunt on TikTok.<\/p>\n
According to the FDNY, the teenager became trapped in a shaft on the lower level of the bridge on the Queens side. Emergency crews responded shortly after 9 p.m. Monday night.<\/p>\n
Investigators said the boy climbed down a ladder into a shaft within the bridge\u2019s structure but lost his footing and became stuck in a narrow passage. Authorities believe he may have been inside for several hours before rescuers reached him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a complex and lengthy operation,\u201d FDNY Deputy Chief Nicholas Corrado said. \u201cWe reached the victim, secured him, removed him from the shaft and transferred him to an ambulance.\u201d<\/p>\n
The teen, who is from Long Island and was alone at the time, had reportedly planned to post a video of the stunt online.<\/p>\n
He was transported by FDNY EMS to Weill Cornell Medical Center in critical condition but has since stabilized, police said.<\/p>\n
The incident is the latest in a string of social media-driven challenges that have led to fatal, near-fatal and destructive consequences.<\/p>\n
From \u201csubway surfing,\u201d which has resulted in deaths and critical injuries throughout the boroughs, to the \u201cKool-Aid Man Challenge<\/a>,\u201d which has caused damage to backyard fences on Staten Island, teens continue to participate in risky stunts in pursuit of online glory and peer approval.<\/p>\n Last spring, the Advance\/SILive.com reported on incidents nearly weekly across the Island in which residents awoke to find vinyl fence slats scattered on the ground or damaged beyond repair.<\/p>\n Homeowners questioned whether their property would be next, while authorities expressed frustration over what they described as senseless acts of vandalism.<\/p>\n \u201cThis behavior is stupid, arrogant and reprehensible, and the parents of these children should be ashamed,\u201d District Attorney Michael E. McMahon said at the time.<\/p>\n