A tragic incident occurred involving a teenager who lost his life participating in a TikTok challenge that also resulted in another individual being severely injured. The 17-year-old, David Nagy, was fatally injured while engaging in the “surfing” challenge, where objects or individuals are tied to moving vehicles. Two teenagers are now facing legal charges in connection to this deadly social media trend.
David Nagy was riding on a table attached to a friend’s car on June 1 when the friend abruptly drove into a car park at a high school in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, causing David to sustain a fatal head injury. The driver, whose identity remains undisclosed, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter for recklessly operating the car during the incident.
In a separate, unrelated occurrence, Eniya Serina Alvarado, 19, drove at 35mph in a car park while her 20-year-old friend stood on the vehicle’s trunk. The friend was ejected from the car, sustaining serious head injuries. This incident took place on March 18, leading to Alvarado facing charges of aggravated assault and aggravated assault by vehicle.
Despite the lack of intent to harm their friends, both teenagers were deemed criminally responsible due to the extreme negligence and recklessness of their actions. District Attorney Stephen Baratta emphasized the tragic consequences of such challenges, highlighting the severe risks posed to both participants and bystanders.
Authorities in Pennsylvania have labeled the “surfing trend” a hazardous TikTok challenge. It is anticipated that both cases will be settled out of court, potentially resulting in the erasure of the teens’ criminal records as first-time offenders. TikTok has confirmed the removal of car surfing videos from its platform, aligning with community guidelines to deter the creation of such content.
TikTok disclosed that a vast majority of rule-violating videos are proactively removed, with nearly all offending content taken down before any views occur. The platform has also redirected searches related to dangerous challenges to support resources to discourage their promotion.