Two Pennsylvania teens are facing charges after prosecutors said they drove their friends on dangerous TikTok-inspired stunts, killing one and causing what are expected to be lifelong injuries to another.
The incidents were unrelated to one another and involved different stunts, but both happened in Northampton County, 85 miles west of New York City and 80 miles north of Philadelphia.
In one case, a 17-year-old died on June 1 while riding on top of a folding table tied to the back of his friend's car, according to Northampton County District Attorney Stephen Baratta. Prosecutors said the friend recklessly drove too fast and "whipped the rider sitting on the table into another parked vehicle, resulting in [his] death," Baratta's office said in a statement.
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This still image taken from video shows a person riding on a folding table behind a moving vehicle. (FOX 29 Philadelphia)
The victim in that case was identified as David Nagy, 17, FOX 29 Philadelphia reported.
In the other case, a 19-year-old woman allegedly drove through a parking lot with her 20-year-old friend "surfing" on her trunk on March 18. The woman on the trunk fell off and suffered "catastrophic head injuries that will be permanent in nature," Baratta's office said.
David Nagy, 17, was identified as the victim who died after taking part in a table surfing stunt in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. (FOX 29 Philadelphia)
Neither teen is accused of "criminogenic thinking," meaning they are not accused of planning to hurt their friends. However, Baratta said, they are allegedly criminally culpable because the incidents 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 reporters at a news briefing attended by FOX 29. "That's what's so heartbreaking in this case."
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Aerial images show police investigating in a Pennsylvania parking lot after a deadly stunt involving teenagers allegedly mimicking a TikTok challenge called table surfing. (FOX 29 Philadelphia)
Baratta added that neither driver has a criminal record and neither victim's family is "calling out for incarceration." As a result, he said his office won't seek jail time for either of them if they agree to plea deals.
He said the families want to use the cases in the hope that other teens will make better decisions.
"These families are seeking accountability and hope that these charges will result in deterrence for other youth who may find themselves attracted to the thrill of mimicking dangerous social media challenges that have the potential to injure others," his statement said.
The dangerous stunts are not just limited to Pennsylvania. A similar car surfing stunt in Utah left a 15-year-old girl with a severe brain injury last year.