Police investigating daredevil videos of 'urban climber' in Vancouver
A social media daredevil has been doing death-defying stunts in the Vancouver area, prompting safety concerns and at least one police investigation.
The thrill-seeker describes himself online as a 23-year-old "train surfer and urban climber" who is "home-free," as opposed to homeless.
Since December 2023, the daredevil has posted several pictures and videos of himself in precarious positions, including one in which he claims to be urinating off a tower on the Lions Gate Bridge.
In another video, posted last week on Instagram, he can be seen standing between two SkyTrain cars that are hurtling toward Stadium-Chinatown Station in Vancouver.
Many online commenters have cheered the stunts on – something that can encourage these kinds of daredevils to put themselves in even greater danger, according to Matthew Johnson, a social media expert with MediaSmarts.
"It's definitely possible that some of the features of the platform, including likes and interactions with commenters are pushing people to take more risks," said Johnson.
Several of the posts show the man engaged in potentially criminal activity.
"The kind of behavior that's depicted on these videos is certainly not something that's advisable from any perspective whatsoever," said Sarah Leamon, a Vancouver-based criminal lawyer. "And certainly not from a legal perspective."
When one commenter threatened to send his picture to police, the poster wrote: "Make sure they are good photos, can't have an ugly mugshot."
According to Metro Vancouver Transit Police, the SkyTrain stunt is already under investigation.
A social media daredevil rides on the outside of a SkyTrain heading towards downtown Vancouver. (Instagram)
In a statement, Const. Travis Blair described the behaviour as "extremely dangerous," with the potential to result in "life-long injuries or death."
"Riding, standing or holding onto the exterior of a transit vehicle is an offence punishable by fine or charges," Blair told CTV News.
The Vancouver Police Department, which has jurisdiction over some incidents on the Lions Gate Bridge, said it is also reviewing the daredevil's videos.
"Videos like these are sometimes posted on social media by people trying to gain attention and build their online following," Sgt. Steve Addison said in an email, adding that authorities are concerned about drawing attention to the account because it could "encourage copy-cat behaviour."
The social media platform's terms of service do not explicitly prohibit dangerous behaviour, but they do ban criminal activity, meaning the poster is likely in violation of those terms.
"This person clearly is trespassing and violating a number of other laws so when we see content like this online, we do have the option to report it," said Johnson.
CTV News has been unable to reach the person behind the account for comment.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Galen Weston pushes back on 'misguided criticism' of Loblaw as boycott begins
Loblaw chairman Galen Weston, as well as the company's new chief executive, pushed back on what they called 'misguided criticism' of the grocer as a boycott against the company gains steam online.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Quebec premier asks police to dismantle camp at McGill University
Quebec Premier Francois Legault has called on the police to dismantle the pro-Palestinian protest encampment on the lower field of McGill University's downtown campus in Montreal.
Orangutan observed treating wound using medicinal plant in world first
Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented.
TD Bank hit with $9.2M penalty after failing to report suspicious transactions
Canada's financial intelligence agency says it has levied a $9.2-million penalty against The Toronto-Dominion Bank for non-compliance with money laundering and terrorist financing measures as the bank also faces compliance investigations in the U.S.
Doctors concerned about potential spread of bird flu in Canada
H5N1 or avian flu has been detected at dozens of U.S. dairy farms and Canadian experts are urging surveillance on our side of the border too.
This Canadian restaurant just lowered its prices. Here's how it did it
A Canadian restaurant lowered its prices this week, and though news of price tags dropping rather than climbing sounds unusual, the business strategy in this case is not, according to experts in the field.