Teen falls to death while trying social media stunt on LA bridge

A teen boy fell to his death while attempting a stunt for social media on a Los Angeles bridge, according to authorities.

Officers with the Los Angeles Police department were called to the Sixth Street Bridge on Saturday around 2 a.m., KABC reported. When they arrived on the scene, they found a critically injured 17-year-old boy, who was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later. His name has not been released.

The teen slipped and fell “when climbing upon one of the arches, in order to post, apparently, a social media broadcast,” Police Chief Michel Moore said Tuesday during a Los Angeles Police Commission meeting. It’s not clear how or when the boy intended to post his climb online.

“Tragically we see that location, while it has spawned a great deal of pride in Los Angeles, it has also unfortunately served as a backdrop now for tragedies such as this,” Moore added.

The $588-million span of bridge opened last July as replacement for an 84-year-old art deco viaduct spanning the Los Angeles River. The 3,500-foot stretch connects downtown to the historic Eastside.

However, in the months since, it has become a hotspot for street racing and graffiti, forcing authorities to close it down on several different occasions. It has also been the site of multiple crashes. Back in January, a man was fatally shot on the bridge while he attempted to film a music video, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Moore vowed that patrols will continue at the location to “counter such reckless actions.”