Boy, 16, trapped 50 feet down shaft in TikTok stunt on New York bridge
A 16-year-old boy got stuck 50 feet down a shaft on the Queensboro Bridge while performing a dangerous stunt he planned to post on TikTok, authorities said Tuesday.
First responders rescued the teen, who was suffering from hypothermia, from the narrow shaft on the lower level of the bridge near its Queens entryway about 9 p.m. Monday, FDNY Deputy Chief Nicholas Corrado said.
“It was a very difficult time-consuming rescue that involves high-angle equipment and ropes,” Corrado said. “But we got to the victim … and got him out.”
It’s believed the teen had been stuck in the shaft about three hours before he was rescued. He had climbed down a ladder into the shaft but ended up getting stuck in the narrow passageway, officials said.
The teen later admitted he wanted to record his stunt with plans to post it on TikTok, officials said.
Medics rushed the teen to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell where he was listed in critical but stable condition, FDNY officials said.
More than 75 FDNY and EMS members, as well as members of FDNY’s Rescue 1 participated in the save, Corrado said.
The bridge connecting Long Island City, Queens, and the Upper East Side was officially renamed the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge in 2011.