Current:Home > ScamsWild video of car trapped in building confuses the internet. It’s a 'Chicago Fire' scene. -LondonCapital
Wild video of car trapped in building confuses the internet. It’s a 'Chicago Fire' scene.
View
Date:2025-04-16 20:54:36
A series of dramatic videos showing a car improbably lodged high up in a building and a Chicago firefighter attempting a daring, if ill-advised, rescue set social media ablaze this week.
If the videos seemed to defy reality and be something straight out of Hollywood, there's good reason.
Many users on TikTok speculated in the comments that the seeming emergency had to be staged as part of a film set for NBC series "Chicago Fire." Turns out, they were right.
The show confirmed Thursday to USA TODAY that "Chicago Fire" was indeed filming a scene that day for an upcoming episode. No other details about the scene or when viewers will be able to see it appear in an episode of the long-running drama have been revealed.
Music:Paul McCartney gushes about Beyoncé’s version of 'Blackbird' on her new 'Cowboy Carter' album
TikTok videos show car in building, firefighter jumping on it
Videos began circulating Thursday on social media that both showed a blue sedan trapped in the building and a firefighter dislodging the vehicle by jumping on it from an aerial ladder.
Another silver two-door car can also be seen pancaked on the street in front of a Chicago Fire Department truck.
"Somebody gave this man his keys," said TikTok user @mat_the_wumbo in one video that garnered more than 6 million views.
What appeared to be a drastic emergency and a dramatic rescue was quickly debunked by many users who took to the comments to theorize that it was just a "Chicago Fire" film set. The procedural, which follows firefighters, rescue personnel and paramedics at Chicago Fire Department's fictional Firehouse 51, is in its 12th season on NBC.
For fans of the show, there was one telltale giveaway: Some of the clips show Squad 3 emblazoned on the truck, the number of the unit depicted in the series.
Chicago FD reacts to the viral video: 'Would never have happened'
The Chicago Fire Department also confirmed to USA TODAY Thursday that the video circulating was not real.
As commenters pointed out, there's no way that the fictional squad could be confused with the real Chicago Fire Department, as the agency has no Squad 3, department spokesman Larry Langford told USA TODAY.
Plus, the rescue method depicted in the videos is also not exactly ... standard procedure.
Had a firefighter attempted that kind of stunt, that person would almost certainly have faced some measure of disciplinary action for being "in direct violation of standing orders," Langford said.
"The TV show takes liberties with our techniques in the name of time efficiency and drama," Langford said. "Had this been a real event, what you see in the video would never have happened."
How Chicago FD really would have handled that situation
Langford went so far as to verify the fire department's procedures with its special operations team before providing an explanation that may sound far more mundane.
Had a car managed to careen into a building so high up, rescuers would first have first stabilized it by attaching lines to the frame and securing those lines to an internal anchor point, such as a suitable column in the structure. If the building's integrity had not been compromised, firefighters would then have used a winch system to pull the vehicle back into the building, using care to make sure that it was not leaking gasoline.
Only then would victims inside the car be removed and treated for any injuries, Langford said. An aerial ladder, such as the one used in the "Chicago Fire" film shoot, would not have been used at all for a rescuer to use to climb onto the vehicle.
"Exciting to watch but not backed up by reality at all," Langford said.
But real life doesn't always make for the most thrilling television, as Langford admitted.
"We are often amused at how TV shows portray our techniques," Langford said. He added that officials with the department have in the past been invited to set as advisers to offer their expertise, which is sometimes ignored in favor of the "most dramatic effect."
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
veryGood! (28)
Related
- FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
- Desert Bats Face the Growing, Twin Threats of White-Nose Syndrome and Wind Turbines
- KFOR commander calls on Kosovo and Serbia to return to talks to prevent future violence
- An Airbnb renter allegedly overstayed more than 520 days without paying – but says the homeowner owes her money
- 'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
- Stricter state laws are chipping away at sex education in K-12 schools
- Whales and dolphins in American waters are losing food and habitat to climate change, US study says
- Inside the manhunt for a detainee and his alleged prison guard lover
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- 73-year-old woman attacked by bear near US-Canada border, officials say; park site closed
Ranking
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Whales and dolphins in American waters are losing food and habitat to climate change, US study says
- Whales and dolphins in American waters are losing food and habitat to climate change, US study says
- U.N rights commission accuses South Sudan of violations ahead of elections
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- Lebanese army rescues over 100 migrants whose boat ran into trouble in the Mediterranean
- Myanmar’s top court declines to hear Suu Kyi’s special appeals in abuse of power and bribery cases
- Marching bands have been struggling with extreme heat. Here's how they're adjusting
Recommendation
Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
A modest Buddhist ceremony marks the anniversary of a day care center massacre in Thailand
NCT 127 members talk 'Fact Check' sonic diversity, artistic evolution, 'limitless' future
Rumer Willis Has a Message for Nasty Trolls Sending Her Hateful Comment
What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
Fire sweeps through a 6-story residential building in Mumbai, killing 6 and injuring dozens
'I questioned his character': Ex-Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome on why he once grilled Travis Kelce
'I questioned his character': Ex-Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome on why he once grilled Travis Kelce