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TikTok challenge prompts criminal charges in Northampton County
The Northampton County District Attorney is issuing a warning to the public after a teen died and another suffered ‘catastrophic head injuries' due to a TikTok challenge.
PHILADELPHIA - Authorities in Pennsylvania are warning against the dangers of social media challenges after two recent cases ended in tragedy.
What we know:
The Northampton County District Attorney's Office shared details about two incidents involving teens and young people participating in social media challenges.
Investigators said a 17-year-old boy was killed when he was thrown from a flipped-over folding table that was being towed at a high rate of speed by a teen driver.
The tragic incident happened in June in the parking lot of Freedom High School in Bethlehem, according to prosecutors.
In another social media challenge gone wrong, officials said a 20-year-old woman suffered "catastrophic head injuries" when she fell off the trunk of a moving car.
That incident happened at the Park and Ride parking lot off William Penn Highway in Bethlehem Township.
The drivers in both incidents were charged with involuntary manslaughter, but neither prosecutors nor the families of the victims are pursuing incarceration.
Officials and family members chose to publicize both cases to warn the public about the dangerous and sometimes deadly consequences of social media challenges.
What they're saying:
Prosecutors called on the young people and teens to not participate in "dangerous and criminally reckless behavior" often associated with social media challenges.
They added that the drivers in both instances were "well-known to the families of the victim, had no prior criminal record."
"It is critical for the public to understand that these challenges can have severe real-world consequences, creating significant risk for participants and sometimes bystanders as well," they said.