A 17-year-old teenager has died in Los Angeles after he slipped while climbing the new Los Angeles bridge over an alleged social media stunt. The boy’s body was found on the 6th Street Viaduct on Saturday, May 20, 2023 by police and rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore testified that he “slipped and fell” while documenting himself climbing the arches “for apparently posting a social media broadcast” at a Los Angeles Police Commission meeting. held on May 23.
He added that the location has become a hot spot for influencers performing dangerous stunts for online “influence chasing” since it opened last July.
According Los Angeles Daily News, the boy was rushed to USC Los Angeles County Medical Center. However, the victim’s name and the social media platform she used were not disclosed to maintain privacy.
Some news outlets reported the teen’s name as Anthony Luna, adding that his family has disputed claims that a “social media stunt gone wrong” as the cause of his death.
The teenager is not the first victim of such an incident on the new Los Angeles bridge.
The bridge was a $588 million undertaking, running over the concrete-lined LA River connecting downtown to its historic Eastside. Spanning approximately 3,500 feet, it replaced an older Art-Deco-themed structure. The location offers spectacular views of the Los Angeles skyline.
The structure is the largest and most expensive to be built in the city and was listed as one of the city’s historic landmarks shortly after it opened. Due to these factors, it is a hotspot for locals and tourists alike.
Law enforcement authorities have had to close the bridge several times in the past, as the structure has drawn negative attention in equal measure, including street racing, graffiti, and illegal takeovers by onlookers flocking to Watch the drivers perform dangerous stunts.
At the Police Commission meeting, Moore highlighted this by stating:
“Tragically, we see that place, while it has generated great pride in Los Angeles, sadly it has also served as a backdrop for tragedies like this…”
Unfortunately, the teenager is the third person to die on the bridge in the 10 months it has been open. The victims include a man who was fatally shot on a pedestrian ramp while illegally filming a music video earlier this year.
Additionally, a number of influential people have taken it upon themselves to film their “stunt videos” on the structure. Last year, a man was seen cutting his hair in the middle of the bridge’s lanes just days after it opened.
Police Chief Michel Moore stated that the LAPD has increased patrols in and around the structure to “counter such reckless actions.”
No other comments were seen in relation to the incident.
