Two Pennsylvania Teens Charged After TikTok Stunts Kill Friend, Leave Another With Permanent Injuries

Two Pennsylvania teenagers are facing criminal charges after prosecutors say their TikTok–inspired stunts involving a folding table and a car killed one friend and left another with lifelong injuries. The cases, described by Northampton County District Attorney Stephen Baratta, were unrelated and involved different stunts, but both emerged from attempts to mimic online challenges that authorities say went dangerously wrong. The incidents occurred in Northampton County, about 85 miles west of New York City and 80 miles north of Philadelphia. Baratta’s office said the district is not targeting social media per se, but the reckless acts tied to those platforms.

In the June 1 case, prosecutors say a 17-year-old died after riding on top of a folding table tied to the back of a friend’s car. Baratta’s office said the driver recklessly accelerated and whipped the rider into a parked vehicle, causing fatal injuries. The victim was identified as David Nagy, 17, according to FOX 29 Philadelphia.

In the second case, a 19-year-old woman allegedly drove through a parking lot with her 20-year-old friend “surfing” on the trunk. The passenger fell off and suffered catastrophic head injuries that Baratta’s office said will be permanent. The incidents were not linked to one another and involved different individuals, but both were framed by prosecutors as acts of gross negligence and recklessness tied to online challenges.

Neither teen is accused of criminogenic thinking, meaning they are not alleged to have planned to hurt others. Baratta said the charges reflect criminal culpability due to the extreme manner in which the stunts were carried out. He noted the cases are separate and the defendants have no prior criminal records; he also indicated that if either defendant agrees to a plea deal, the office would not seek jail time. The families involved have expressed a wish for accountability and deterrence, hoping the prosecutions will discourage other youths from attempting dangerous social media trends.

“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 said at a news briefing attended by local reporters.

The broader context of the cases is not limited to Pennsylvania. A similar car-surfing stunt in Utah left a 15-year-old girl with a severe brain injury last year, prompting renewed scrutiny of online challenges and the platforms that host them.

Baratta’s office publicly called out TikTok and Instagram by name, underscoring the ongoing tension between law-enforcement concerns and platform policies as authorities seek to curb dangerous trends that can spread rapidly across multiple apps. A TikTok spokesperson said videos involving table and car surfing violate the company’s community guidelines and that the platform proactively removes the vast majority of such content—about 99.8%—and that 92.4% of videos removed for violating the rules are taken down before anyone views them.

The company’s response comes as investigators across the country examine how social media content influences risky behavior among teens. While the incidents in this case were not tied to a single platform, authorities emphasize that the phenomenon is widespread and not confined to one app or service.

The families affected by the Northampton County cases described a painful mix of disbelief and sorrow. Baratta said the people involved were close friends who trusted one another, a dynamic that makes the events especially heartbreaking for the communities. He emphasized that the aim of the charges is not vengeance but accountability and deterrence, hoping to prevent future harm as teens increasingly view online challenges as social currency.

In examining these events, prosecutors pointed to a pattern in which social-media-driven dares travel quickly from screen to real-world action, often with little time for reflection or risk assessment. Utah’s case from last year—also cited by Baratta’s office—illustrates that these dangers are not isolated to any one region. Law-enforcement officials say that while technologies and platforms evolve, the core issue remains: some youths may misjudge the consequences of dangerous stunts when they’re performed in the name of online notoriety.

As the investigation continues, Baratta urged parents, guardians, and educators to talk openly with teens about the risks of following dangerous trends online and to report any content that appears to promote reckless conduct. He stressed that, while social media platforms implement enforcement measures, individual choices and community standards play essential roles in preventing harm.

The Northampton County cases highlight a broader conversation about youth accountability, platform responsibility, and the real-world consequences of online challenges. They also demonstrate how prosecutors will pursue charges when dangerous behavior crosses from imitation into clear recklessness with potentially fatal outcomes. As authorities continue to review the incidents and any related social media activity, the hope remains that these cases will serve as a concrete warning to youths about the costs of mimicking dangerous stunts for online attention.