Teen in the US derails trains to film crazy YouTube video, causing accident

A 17-year-old boy in Nebraska, US, deliberately derailed trains in order to capture “crazy” footage to share on YouTube.

The young man took a video of the train accident that occurred in the town of Bennet on April 21 and shared it online. He used the caption, “THE CRAZIEST VIDEO I’VE EVER MADE!”

The footage shows two locomotives and five full freight cars derailing after hitting an empty car, but not overturning. The young man repeatedly shouts “Oh my God!” as he films the incident. The accident caused $350,000 worth of damage, but thankfully no one was injured.

Interestingly, the teenager was the first to report the accident and even approached an investigator at the scene and showed him the footage he had taken. This behavior aroused suspicion and led to an investigation.

As a result of the investigation, it was determined that the young man interfered with the switch button on the train tracks and that he did so knowingly. Security camera footage shows the young man walking around the area and approaching the tracks before the incident.

The teenager now faces two counts of causing more than $5,000 worth of damage each. If convicted, he could face a fine of up to $15,000 and up to seven years in prison for each charge.

The incident highlights the increasing number of young people committing dangerous and illegal acts to gain attention on social media, with authorities warning that such behaviour could have serious consequences.