Teen plunges to his death as he climbs bridge for social media post, CA cops say
A teen fell to his death while climbing a California bridge, a stunt intended to be posted on social media, police said.
The 17-year-old was climbing one of the arches of the “iconic” 6th Street Viaduct “to post, apparently, a social media broadcast,” Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said during a Tuesday, May 23, police commission meeting.
“He slipped and fell to his death,” Moore said.
Police arrived on scene around 2 a.m. Saturday, May 20, ABC7 News reported. The teen was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Moore said police patrols will continue in the area “to counter such reckless actions.”
“Tragically, we see that location, while it has spawned a great deal of pride in Los Angeles, it has also unfortunately served as a backdrop now for tragedies,” Moore said.
The bridge opened in July after the site closed for construction six years prior, the Los Angeles Times reported. The $588 million project replaced the previous bridge “built in 1932 and deemed seismically deficient,” NBC Los Angeles reported.
Following its opening, the site became the center of a number of stunts, including drag racing and street takeovers, City News Service reported.
Thrill seekers turn dangerously high Olympic bridge into must-have for selfies
Woman taking selfie photo dies after slip over edge of Eagle Falls in Emerald Bay
Teen’s dream of being nurse ends in tragedy days before graduation, Georgia family says
