Current:Home > StocksWild video of car trapped in building confuses the internet. It’s a 'Chicago Fire' scene. -Elevate Capital Network
Wild video of car trapped in building confuses the internet. It’s a 'Chicago Fire' scene.
View
Date:2025-04-19 16:17:08
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 [email protected]
veryGood! (38181)
Related
- Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
- Women’s tennis tour and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will work to support prenatal care
- Union reaches tentative contract at 38 Kroger stores in West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio
- Jennifer Hudson, Barry Manilow mourn death of 'American Idol' vocal coach Debra Byrd
- Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
- Norfolk Southern alone should pay for cleanup of Ohio train derailment, judge says
- The Best Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Products Every Woman Should Own for an Empowering Glam Look
- Eagle cam livestream: Watch as world awaits hatching of 3 bald eagles in Big Bear Valley
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- The View's Whoopi Goldberg Defends 40-Year Age Gap With Ex
Ranking
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- Delaware House approved requirements to buy a handgun, including fingerprints and training
- State of the Union highlights and key moments from Biden's 2024 address
- Biden visiting battleground states and expanding staff as his campaign tries to seize the offensive
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- Pencils down: SATs are going all digital, and students have mixed reviews of the new format
- Two groups appeal the selection of new offshore wind projects for New Jersey, citing cost
- Minneapolis Uber and Lyft drivers due for $15 an hour under council’s plan but mayor vows a veto
Recommendation
Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
NFL trade candidates 2024: Ten big-name players it makes sense to move
A new Uvalde report defends local police. Here are the findings that outraged some families in Texas
Zoo Atlanta sets up Rhino Naming Madness bracket to name baby white rhinoceros
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Lionel Messi injury scare: left leg kicked during Inter Miami game. Here's what we know.
Houston police chief apologizes for department not investigating 264K incident reports
Donald Trump will get juror names at New York criminal trial but they’ll be anonymous to the public