TikTok boat jumping challenge blamed for FOUR deaths in Alabama as cop says victim broke his neck
TikTok boat jumping challenge in which people jump from ships moving at high speed is held responsible for FOUR deaths in Alabama – as police say, the victims immediately broke their necks
- Alabama officials have said a recent surge in boat deaths is down to a TikTok trend
- Images posted to TikTok show countless people throwing themselves into the wake of a boat at high speed
- Rescue teams say the trend has claimed the lives of four people, including a father, in the past few months alone
A TikTok boat jumping challenge where people jump from the back of the ships while moving at high speed is responsible for four deaths in Alabama.
The challenge, which has become popular on TikTok, involves individuals engaging in dangerous water activities.
Those taking part in the challenge launch themselves from the back of a boat and into the wake behind it, as the boat continues to move.
Now officials in Alabama have said the new fad has claimed the lives of four people, after they broke their necks on impact.
Officials said they had experienced four drownings in the past six months that were “easily avoidable.”
Alabama officials have said the TikTok trend has now claimed the lives of four people
Those taking part in the challenge launch themselves from the back of a boat and into the wake behind it, as the boat continues to move
Captain Jim Dennis of the Childersburg Rescue Squad told me WPDE said, “In the past six months, we’ve had four drownings that were easily avoidable.
“They did a TikTok challenge. It’s where you get into a boat going at high speed, you jump off the side of the boat, you don’t dive, you jump feet first and you just kind of lean into the water.
“The four we responded to when they jumped out of the boat literally broke their necks and, you know, instant death, actually.”
Captain Dennis continued, “I think when people are filmed on camera they are more likely to do something stupid because they want to show off to their friends on social media.
He said one incident was in February when the victim was a father with his three children, his wife and other loved ones in the boat – and his death was recorded.
WPDE said the most recent incident in Alabama happened in May and involved a middle-aged man.
TikTok footage from the craze shows people throwing themselves into wild water from the back of fast-moving boats.
One video is believed to have been taken on Lake Norman, North Carolina, and shows five people jumping and jumping black into the water.
Captain Jim Dennis of the Childersburg Rescue Squad told WPDE that all deaths were avoidable
Social media users expressed concern over the videos, citing the remaining deaths linked to the craze
Following the news from Alabama in recent days, the footage, originally shared in 2021, has been flooded with comments warning of the deaths.
One person commented, “That’s so dangerous, not cool.”
Another posted: ‘So dangerous! Four people broke their necks and died from this.’
It’s not the first trend to claim human lives on the social media app, with two teens dying after taking part in the Benadryl Challenge.
It sees people, usually children, take multiple antihistamine tablets to induce hallucinations before posting videos of their experience.
Jacob Stevens, 13, passed away in April this year after Chloe Marie Phillips, 15, passed away in August 2020 after participating in the trend.