Current:Home > NewsWild video of car trapped in building confuses the internet. It’s a 'Chicago Fire' scene. -Capitatum
Wild video of car trapped in building confuses the internet. It’s a 'Chicago Fire' scene.
View
Date:2025-04-15 16:04:15
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! (31)
Related
- Mega Millions winning numbers for August 6 drawing: Jackpot climbs to $398 million
- Remembering Tina Turner
- Zendaya, White Lotus' Haley Lu Richardson and More Best Dressed Stars at the 2023 SAG Awards
- Cormac McCarthy, American novelist of the stark and dark, dies at 89
- Boy who wandered away from his 5th birthday party found dead in canal, police say
- 'Diablo IV' Review: Activision Blizzard deals old-school devilish delights
- Toblerone to ditch Matterhorn logo over Swissness law
- Doc Todd, a rapper who helped other veterans feel 'Not Alone,' dies at 38
- Beware of giant spiders: Thousands of tarantulas to emerge in 3 states for mating season
- 4 Americans missing after they were kidnapped in Mexican border city, FBI says
Ranking
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- 'Wait Wait' for June 10, 2023: With Not My Job guest Radhika Jones
- 20 Affordable Amazon Products That Will Make Traveling Less Stressful
- Ozempic-like weight loss drug Wegovy coming to the U.K. market, and it will cost a fraction of what Americans pay
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- Wes Anderson has outdone himself with 'Asteroid City'
- Ukrainian troops describe vicious battle for Bakhmut as Russian forces accused of a brutal execution
- Go Behind the Scenes of the Star-Studded 2023 SAG Awards With Photos of Zendaya, Jenna Ortega and More
Recommendation
Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
Beauty culture in South Korea reveals a grim future in 'Flawless'
12 Gifts That Every Outer Banks Fan Will Fall In Love With
Nuevos y destacados podcasts creados por latinos en medios públicos que debes escuchar
From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
John Goodman tells us the dark secret behind all his lovable characters
Brian Austin Green Calls Out Ex Vanessa Marcil for Claiming She Raised Their Son Kassius Alone
'The Red Hotel': Trying to cover World War II from a 'gilded cage' in Moscow