Current:Home > NewsWild video of car trapped in building confuses the internet. It’s a 'Chicago Fire' scene. -Wealth Harmony Labs
Wild video of car trapped in building confuses the internet. It’s a 'Chicago Fire' scene.
View
Date:2025-04-18 19:38:03
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! (8)
Related
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Japan’s PM visits fish market, vows to help fisheries hit by China ban over Fukushima water release
- You may have to choose new team to hate: College football realignment shakes up rivalries
- Hurricane Idalia's aftermath: South Carolina faces life-threatening flood risks
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- Oklahoma deputy arrested in fatal shooting of his wife, police say
- Manchin and his daughter pitching donors on a centrist political group, source says
- Couple arrested for animal cruelty, child endangerment after 30 dead dogs found in NJ home
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- US OKs military aid to Taiwan under program usually reserved for sovereign nations
Ranking
- Clay Aiken's son Parker, 15, makes his TV debut, looks like his father's twin
- Death of woman following attacks on North Carolina power stations ruled a homicide
- Connecticut US Senator Chris Murphy tests positive for coronavirus
- Judge rejects key defense for former Trump adviser Peter Navarro as trial is set for Tuesday
- Kehlani Responds to Hurtful Accusation She’s in a Cult
- Golden Bachelor: Meet the Women on Gerry Turner’s Season—Including Matt James' Mom
- Charges won't be filed in fatal shooting of college student who went to wrong house
- The six teams that could break through and make their first College Football Playoff
Recommendation
Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
Hurricane Idalia shutters Florida airports and cancels more than 1,000 flights
Legacy of Native American boarding schools comes into view through a new interactive map
1 dead, 18 injured after collision between car, Greyhound bus in Maryland, police say
Chief beer officer for Yard House: A side gig that comes with a daily swig.
American Airlines flight attendants take key step toward possible strike
Harry Potter's Bonnie Wright Shared She's Frustrated Over Character Ginny's Lack of Screen Time
Four people held in a problem-plagued jail have died over the span of a month