Quebec police investigating TikTok of young men 'rooftopping' on the Champlain Bridge tower
Quebec provincial police are investigating after a video of people climbing the Champlain Bridge tower circulated on TikTok.
The attention-grabbing exploit did exactly that when the video was published on Jan. 21. It has since been taken down.
The TikTok, taken from the climbers' perspectives, follows a group of young men as they make their way up the 170-metre tower (equivalent to a 40-storey building).
The bridge authority, the SSLG, is also investigating.
"This intrusion constitutes a security breach, and we are carrying out an internal investigation to determine the causes and ultimately recommend the corrective measures to be put in place," the SSLG told CTV News in a statement Sunday.
Criminal defence lawyer Walid Hijazi says the individuals could face serious charges.
"A lot of the behaviour we see on the internet coming from essentially young men in their early 20s looking for adrenaline and posting on social media, they need to understand that it's very dangerous and potentially criminal," he explained. "There can be an accident, and they can hurt themselves. And possibly die."
That was tragically the case for 22-year-old Conrad Rybicki.
"Rooftopping," as it's called, was one of his biggest passions; he gained a large following for his dangerous exploits above Toronto.
But in May 2023, he fell 20 stories to his death.
It's a loss his parents, who live in Poland, are still reeling from. They're speaking out in the hopes of preventing further harm.
"To people, I would say, use your brain and your good sense. Ask yourself if you want to continue living," Rybicki's mother, Dorota Rybicki, said in an interview Sunday.
Dorota Rybicki says she only discovered how popular roof topping was after her son's death. She's calling on social media platforms to do more to prevent these videos from spreading by cutting off the clicks that make them so irresistible.
"Why aren't there controls or surveillance on this content that young people put on social media?" Rybicki continued.
The SQ investigation into the break-in at the Champlain Bridge is ongoing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Fatal plane crash reported near Squamish, B.C.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has confirmed it is working with local Mounties and the BC Coroners Service after a plane crash near Squamish, B.C. Friday night.
Grayson Murray, two-time PGA Tour winner, dead at 30
Two-time PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray died Saturday morning at age 30, one day after he withdrew from the Charles Schwab Cup Challenge at Colonial.
Humboldt Broncos crash victims and families react to decision to deport truck driver
The family of one of the victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018 says they are 'thankful' for a decision by a Calgary immigration board to deport the driver of the truck involved.
Community mourns victims of fatal boat crash near Kingston, Ont.
The three people killed in last weekend's tragic collision between a speedboat and a fishing boat north of Kingston are being remembered Friday.
'God forgives but we don’t': Loud outburst from stabbing victim’s family during sentencing hearing
An emotional outburst in a London, Ont. courtroom Friday disrupted the sentencing hearing of a woman who pleaded guilty for her part in the death of 29-year-old Mohammed Abdallah.
American Airlines drops law firm that said a 9-year-old girl should have seen camera on toilet seat
American Airlines has replaced the law firm that told a judge a nine-year-old girl was negligent in not noticing there was a camera phone taped to the seat in an airplane lavatory.
Nicki Minaj detained by police in Amsterdam for allegedly possessing soft drugs
American rapper Nicki Minaj said she was held at Amsterdam Schiphol airport on Saturday on allegation of possession of soft drugs.
1 dead, 3 in hospital after flying wheel crashes into bus windshield on QEW
A man is dead, and three others are in hospital after a flying wheel crashed into a coach bus on the QEW in St. Catharines.
Public safety minister pledges to 'massively' reduce auto theft
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc insists the federal government is 'doing everything (it) can' to eliminate auto thefts in Canada, and he hopes to see 'a significant reduction quickly' following this week's announcement of new measures to counter the problem.