At least four people have died in recent months after giving in to a new and deadly TikTok trend, Alabama authorities said.
According to an article from the New York Post, thrill-seekers are jumping or flipping off the backs of speeding boats resulting in fatality as many either break their necks or drown.
“Last six months we have had four drownings that were easily avoidable. They were doing a TikTok challenge. It’s where you get in a boat going at a high rate of speed, you jump off the side of the boat, don’t dive, you’re jumping off feet first and you just kinda lean into the water,” Captain Jim Dennis of the Childersburg Rescue Squad said.
The trend — dubbed boat jumping — has been an issue for first responders over the last two years, the captain said but has especially picked up since the beginning of the year.
The first victim died in February after plunging into the Coosa River while his wife and their children watched from inside the boat.
“Unfortunately, she recorded his death,” Dennis said.
Despite the tragic end, three others ignored rescuers’ warnings and succumbed to the same fate.
A TikTok search for “#boatjumping” or any iteration of the two words shows a stream of daredevils filming their potential brushes with what Dennis called “instant death.”
The participants range from all ages.
“The high rate of speed of the boat combined with the still water make for a dangerous landing pad that feels similar to concrete,” the NY Post article read.
