NORTHAMPTON COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A Pennsylvania district attorney's office is charging two teens after a TikTok challenge involving vehicles left one dead and another severely injured.
The Northampton County District Attorney, Stephen G. Baratta, has approved charges in two separate cases involving drivers who participated in a "dangerous" TikTok challenge.
In the first case, a 17-year-old boy is facing involuntary manslaughter after participating in a TikTok challenge in June.
Law enforcement stated that he was the driver of a car that used a rope to tie an upside-down folding table to the back of his vehicle, then pulled the table through the parking lot of Freedom High School.
A friend of the suspect "rode" or was sitting on top of the table when the accused "recklessly operated his vehicle at a significant speed, which whipped the rider into another parked vehicle," investigators reported. The rider, who was 17 years old, died as a result of the incident.
13 indicted for car theft ring, linked to homicide
The second case, in March, a 19-year-old woman was driving her car while her friend, 20, stood on top of the trunk.
Detectives say the TikTok challenge involved the friend "surfing" on the back of the moving vehicle as it drove through the Park And Ride lot on William Penn Highway. The victim was thrown from the moving car, resulting in her receiving catastrophic head injuries that will be permanent, as stated in the release.
"Our investigation suggests that neither of these young drivers was involved in criminogenic thinking. In other words, these drivers were not planning to injure their victims. However, the actions of these drivers were so grossly negligent and reckless that it constituted a criminally culpable state of mind."Stephen G. Baratta, Northampton County District Attorney
Authorities say that these challenges can have serious consequences, creating a risk for participants and possibly bystanders.
