Teenager rescued from 50-ft shaft on New York City bridge after TikTok stunt reportedly went horribly wrong

A teenage boy has been rescued after falling 50 feet into a shaft on a New York City bridge during a TikTok stunt that reportedly went horribly wrong.

The New York City Fire Department announced Monday night that it had received a report of “a person in a confined space in one of the bustresses” of the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, which connects Manhattan and Queens.

Authorities arrived within three minutes, FDNY Deputy Chief Nicholas Corrado said at a press briefing. A total of 75 first responders helped in the rescue.

A person, identified in local news reports as a 16-year-old boy, was found “down 50 feet in the shaft from the buttress on the lower level of the Queens side,” Corrado said.

“This was a confined-space operation, which is a very difficult, time-consuming, manpower-intensive operation,” the fire deputy chief told reporters. “It involves high-angle equipment, ropes, we have to monitor the air, and create high points.”

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The Daily News reported that the teen was believed to have been stuck in the shaft for about three hours.

After first responders rescued the boy, he was hospitalized. The Daily News reported that the teen suffered from hypothermia, which The Independent has not verified.

“We got to the victim, packaged the victim out of the shaft, and got them to an ambulance and sent them on their way for medical attention at a hospital,” Corrado said.

EMS Deputy Chief Staci Grguric said the boy was in “critical” condition when he was taken to nearby New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Police said Tuesday that the teen is now stable, per PIX11.

The New York Post said the boy was from Lynbrook, Long Island. Unnamed sources told the publication that the teen was filming a video for TikTok when he fell into the bridge shaft.

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The Independent has reached out to the FDNY and the New York City Police Department for comment.

There have been horror stories in recent years about dangerous TikTok trends going wrong.

Earlier this month, a nine-year-old boy from Illinois made headlines after suffering severe burns from following a TikTok trend. Caleb Chabolla had reportedly heated his NeeDoh Nice Cube in the microwave to make the toy more pliable.

In October 2024, then-New York City Mayor Eric Adams warned against the dangers of subway surfing, which is when someone rides on the outside of moving trains. While subway surfing is nothing new, it has gained more traction thanks to social media.

"Subway surfing is a deadly trap, one that is endangering more and more young people who see others doing it on social media," Adams said at the time. "But those five minutes of online fame could lead to years of regret and pain, or a lifetime of trauma and heartbreak for a family that loses a child.”