‘Stupidity has no limits’: ‘Idiot’ New Yorker is slammed after squatting down on SUBWAY tracks to capture a photo of his friend – while hovering just INCHES from the third rail
- Filmmaker Tim Eliot captured the risky moment, which was shared by the Instagram account Influencers in the Wild
- One man in a denim jacket and sneakers is seen crouching in the middle of tracks at a subway station
- He is using his iPhone to take a photo of a friend sitting on the platform, his feet over the edge
- The man on the tracks has been criticized for putting him and train passengers in danger should a train come through
- He is also about a foot from the electrified third rail, which can be deadly if touched
A pair of friends in New York City have been called ‘idiots’ and ‘candidates for the Darwin Award’ after one jumped down into the subway tracks to take a photo of the other.
Filmmaker Tim Eliot captured the risky moment that one snapped away in the middle of the tracks, the electrified — and deadly — third rail just inches behind him.
The clip has horrified followers of the Instagram account Influencers in the Wild, who have slammed the men for their reckless, dangerous behavior, with one asserting: ‘This is why women live longer.’
A viral clip shows a man crouching in the middle of New York City subway tracks to take a photo
The nine-second video was recorded at an unidentified indoor New York City subway station, where the tracks are located several feet below the platform.
One of the men appears to have jumped down and is seen crouching in the middle of the track, his backside hovering inches from one of the two running rails.
About a foot or so behind him in the third rail, which is powered with enough electricity that it could instantly kill someone who touched it.
The man on the tracks holds up his iPhone and snaps photos of his friend, who is sitting on the yellow safety line and striking poses.
The sitting man’s feet are also dangling over the edge of the platform.
Filmmaker Tim Eliot captured the risky moment that one snapped away in the middle of the tracks, the electrified — and deadly — third rail just inches behind him
The man on the tracks holds up his iPhone and snaps photos of his friend, who is sitting on the yellow safety line and striking poses
‘Do I hate them or am I just jealous of how deep their friendship goes?’ asked the Influencers in the Wild account.
Commenters have pounced on the two men, critisizing them for being so irresponsible.
‘This is so not ok,’ wrote one, while another asserted: ‘Stupidity has no limits.’
‘All fun and games until and train comes,’ wrote yet another.
Many New York City subway stations have screens listing how long until the next train will come — but they are sometimes inaccurate, with trains coming in that aren’t listed.
Commenters have pounced on the two men, criticizing them for being so irresponsible
A lot of commenters were less worried about a train running the man over and more concerned that he might lose his balance and touch the third rail.
‘Dude is 1 foot from the third rail,’ wrote one.
‘He about to get that 600v once in a lifetime shot,’ commented a second, while a third chimed in: ‘That’s a great way to get electrocuted.’
Jim Gannon, spokesman for the Transport Workers Union International, told ABC News that some people have survived touching the third rail — but touching the running rail and the third rail at the same time is definitely killer.
‘When people are really smoked down there, it’s when you hit a running rail and the third rail at the same time,’ he said.
A lot of commenters were less worried about a train running the man over and more concerned that he might lose his balance and touch the third rail
New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) recorded 169 collisions between trains and peoplein 2020, with 63 deaths.
There were 62 deaths in 2019.
Last month, a 32-year-old man died while ‘subway surfing,’ riding on top of a J train while it was moving.
He reportedly list his footing and fell onto the nearby tracks and was struck by another train, killing him.