‘So heartbreaking…’ Teen boy, 17, killed in ‘horribly dangerous’ TikTok stunt after riding a table dragged behind friend’s car… grieving families warn of devastating cost as prosecutors reveal shocking twist… - suong
A PENNSYLVANIA teenager has been killed in a TikTok-inspired stunt gone wrong after being hurled from a makeshift ride strapped to a car.
David Nagy, 17, was taking part in a dangerous “table surfing” challenge when tragedy struck on June 1 in the parking lot of Bethlehem’s Freedom High School.
Police say a 17-year-old friend tied an upside-down folding table to the back of his car and drove recklessly around the lot while Nagy clung to it.
But the vehicle whipped Nagy into a parked car with such force that he suffered fatal head injuries.
Northampton County District Attorney Stephen Baratta said in a statement: “The driver recklessly operated his vehicle at significant speed such that it whipped the rider sitting on the table into another parked vehicle, resulting in [his] death.”
FOX 29 Philadelphia reported Nagy died on the spot. His friend, who has not been named, is now facing involuntary manslaughter charges.
Baratta called the case especially heartbreaking: “The families did have a closeness and a trust with these close friends - I mean they knew them very well. That’s what’s so heartbreaking in this case.”
Just months before Nagy’s death, another so-called “surfing” stunt in the same Pennsylvania county left a young woman fighting for her life.
Prosecutors say 19-year-old Eniya Serina Alvarado drove her car through a Park and Ride lot near William Penn Highway while her 20-year-old friend attempted to surf on the trunk.
The woman fell and suffered “catastrophic head injuries that will be permanent in nature,” according to Baratta’s office.
Alvarado has been charged with aggravated assault, aggravated assault by vehicle, careless driving, and persons hanging on a vehicle.
Baratta stressed that neither teen driver intended to harm their friends: “They were not planning to injure their victim. However, in both incidents, the action of these drivers were so grossly negligent and reckless that it constituted criminal, culpable state of mind.”
He said both families are united in wanting these cases to act as a warning.
“These families are seeking accountability and hope that these charges will result in deterrence for other youth who may find themselves attracted to the thrill of mimicking dangerous social media challenges that have the potential to injure others,” Baratta explained.
As first-time offenders, neither driver is expected to face prison if they accept plea deals. Instead, Baratta said, they may later be eligible to have their charges expunged.
“I promised these families that in return for the admission by these drivers that they engaged in this criminally reckless behavior, there will be public accountability and that after a successful completion of a period of supervision, these defendants will have the opportunity to ask that their criminal charges be expunged,” he told reporters.
Baratta has called out TikTok and Instagram by name, blasting their role in spreading the dangerous craze.
A TikTok spokesperson said: “Videos involving table and car surfing violate the company’s community guidelines and 99.8 per cent of them are removed proactively, and 92.4 per cent of videos removed for violating the app’s rules are taken down before anyone views them.”
The company said it also redirects searches for “table surfing” to an online resource page warning of the dangers.
Between January and March this year, “99.8 per cent of the videos removed for violating TikTok’s dangerous activities and challenges policy were taken down proactively, with 92.4 per cent of them receiving no views,” TikTok told the press.
But Baratta warned the risks remain high: “It’s important for the public to understand that these challenges can have severe, real-world consequences, creating significant risk to participants and sometimes the bystanders as well.”
The Pennsylvania tragedies are part of a growing pattern.
In Utah last year, a 15-year-old girl was left with a severe brain injury after a similar car-surfing stunt went horribly wrong.
For Nagy’s family, though, the warnings come too late.
A teenage boy is gone, a friend faces the weight of the law, and a community is left to reckon with the devastating price of a viral thrill.
EastEnders fan petition demanding Jamie Borthwick’s return gets just six signatures after axing liennhi
A PETITION demanding EastEnders reverse its decision to axe disgraced star Jamie Borthwick has attracted just six signatures.
The actor - who has played Jay Brown in the BBC soap for 19 years - was fired from the show after The Sun revealed he used a disgusting slur about disabled people while filming for Strictly.
A BBC Studios spokesperson confirmed the
“We do not comment on individual matters.”
The fan-led petition is hosted on Change. org and demands that Jamie is reinstated.
It says: “Jamie has shown loyalty to EastEnders for nearly two decades. Now it’s time for the show to show that loyalty back.”
However just six people have signed it.
It comes after Jamie’s final scenes as Jay were revealed after he was sacked from the soap.
The Sun understands that Jamie, who was suspended earlier this year, did not return to filming.
Therefore his final scenes on the show have aired.
They saw his character tie the shoelaces of his 13-year-old stepdaughter Lexi Pearce in the market while being watched by Nicola Mitchell.
The lowkey scene has seen fans brutally mock it by playing over the Julia’s Theme version of the theme tune in edited clips.
The actor got an Albert Square ban in June after The Sun on Sunday revealed a video of him using a severely derogatory term.
He issued a grovelling apology to The Sun on Sunday but sources said his job was at risk.
At the time, disability charity Scope also called for Borthwick to undergo “awareness training.”
A source said: “Jamie is well thought of but Jay hasn’t played a central role in the show for a while.
Strictly's full scandal so far
Strictly Come Dancing's scandal engulfed the show over the past few months, with several major players speaking out about what went on before the BBC came back with their findings. Here are the key moments of what's happened so far
16th May: Giovanni Pernice sensationally quits Strictly Come Dancing after nine years on the show.
17th May: Giovanni becomes the centre of an official investigation after three former partners – believed to be Amanda Abbington, Laura Whitmore and Ranvir Singh – make complaints to the BBC.
16th June: Giovanni releases an official statement vowing to clear his name and denies any wrongdoing.
8th July: Strictly confirms Aljaz Skorjanec will return to the series, replacing Giovanni, after initially quitting the show two years ago.
10th July: Amanda Abbington launches fresh legal proceedings to get the rehearsal footage from her time with Giovanni, after allegedly he refused to release the videos.
13th July: Graziano Di Prima is axed from Strictly for "gross misconduct" after footage of his treatment of Zara McDermott is brought to the attention of the BBC.
Graziano quickly broke his silence, apologising for his behaviour in a statement and saying he "deeply regrets it", adding his "intense passion and determination to win might have affected his training regime."
15th July: Strictly bosses implement new duty of care protocols, including having a chaperone present throughout all rehearsals.
16th July: Zara McDermott speaks out publicly for first time. She states while the production team were "amazing to work with", she found the rehearsal room "completely different", confirming there's footage of "certain situations".
19th July: Anton Du Beke is put under the spotlight for his "1970s attitude" and treatment of female celeb stars, particularly after allegedly referring to 2009 partner Laila Rouass as a "p***" after getting a spray tan.
21st July: Paralympian Will Bayley, who has limb condition arthrogryposis, revealed he was encouraged to leap from a table during a dance routine, despite fears. The stunt caused an injury that forced him to withdraw from the show.
22nd July: MasterChef's Gregg Wallace admits he broke down in tears and got a nasty stress rash on his face during his time on Strictly in 2014.
22nd July: Despite ongoing issues, the Strictly professional cast begin rehearsals for this year's series.
23rd July: Celebrity agent Melanie Blake claims she was sexually assaulted by an unnamed pro dancer while backstage on the show, and claims she witnessed ageism, rudeness and a rough treatment to the point of injury.
23rd July: Strictly is forced to beef up security after 'an intruder scales the wall of the rehearsal studio'.
23rd July: BBC boss Tim Davie breaks his silence on the ongoing allegations against Strictly, saying he is 'deeply sorry', adding: "Hundreds of people, be they pros, contestants or crew have been part of it and had a brilliant experience.
"At the same time if someone thinks there was something wrong or they want to talk about their experience then of course we want them to raise that with us. Be in no doubt we will take it seriously, listen and deal with it as appropriate."
24th July: Strictly 2023 star Krishnan Guru-Murthy holds a bombshell interview with Amanda Abbington on Channel 4 news, where she claims she was bullied, with some of the 'humilation being of a sexual nature'.
27th July: Laura Whitmore releases a statement regarding her Strictly experience, saying "I thought my experience was specific to me but I’ve since learned I was wrong".
She adds she is not part of the official complaint, but has come forward to support Amanda with the BBC, alongside others.
28th July: Laila Rouass speaks out against the accusations regarding Anton Du Beke, saying she "never felt pressured" by him and "personally insisted on six to seven hours training a day".
10th August: Graziano breaks his silence on his Strictly axe, saying "these vile, false allegations have ruined my life."
He also told of the "shocking" end to his friendship with Zara McDermott.
We also revealed that Amanda Abbington was also quizzed for a second time as Strictly execs recruited 15 new staff to monitor rehearsals.
11th August: Just as the investigation was expected to conclude, Amanda made a dramatic intervention. Giovanni was on the brink of being cleared until Amanda handed in more text messages.
24th August: Graziano Di Prima called in top lawyers to sue the BBC and to try to clear his name. He recruited big hitters Whitestone Chambers to fight his corner.
A source said: "They’ve also looked at his BBC contract and believe there are grounds to sue."
Meanwhile, the BBC also delayed releasing the findings of the probe into Giovanni Pernice. The Sun revealed that the results of the three-month investigation were unlikely to be announced in August.
13th September: Strictly wins best talent show at the National Television Awards
14th September: Strictly Come Dancing returned to TV - without Giovanni AND without the findings of the investigation revealed.
30th September: The BBC apologises to Amanda over the Strictly bullying scandal - but Giovanni is cleared of almost all abuse allegations.
Amanda released a statement saying she’s not happy with the outcome, while Gio shared his delight.
22nd October: Giovanni returns to TV in the UK for an interview on Lorraine and speaks about clearing his name.
“The character hasn’t had a major storyline recently - he’s been very much a supporting character of late.
“Meanwhile Jamie has been kept busy outside of EastEnders by being given the Strictly Christmas special in 2023 and then the full series last year.
“But consequently on EastEnders he’s barely been seen with about 30 appearances on screen since last summer.
“And with a new boss in Ben Wadey who only recently took the helm and with the scandal taking place so soon into his tenure feeling is that Jamie’s place on the show could be at serious risk.”
