Selfies taken dangerously close to Niagara Falls prompts police response
Published October 15, 2024 at 4:13 pm
A video that recently went viral on social media that shows two people taking pictures much too close to Niagara’s eponymous falls has prompted police to launch an investigation and warn the public that a good picture is never worth the risk.
Recently, social media site waveroom.toronto posted a video of a man and a woman posing for pictures at the brink of the falls, well beyond the safety barriers.
“All that for a picture is wild,” the poster wrote.
In the video, a man can be heard expressing shock.
“Look at those crazy people. Oh my god,” one man can be heard saying.
The Niagara Parks Police Service told INsauga.com that there’s ample signage warning visitors to stay behind all safety barriers, adding that signage prohibiting climbing of any kind is located all along the retaining wall that borders the Niagara Gorge that overlooks the falls.
“This area is also patrolled regularly by the NPPS,” Paul Forcier, Chief of Police with the NPPS, told INsauga.com in an email.
“Members of the public are reminded to follow the posted signage at all times.”
While it’s not clear when the incident took place, the two people taking pictures are both in summer clothes, suggesting the incident occurred earlier this year.
The video began making the rounds on social media about one week ago.
Forcier said police are investigating and that crossing the barriers is not only dangerous but could earn someone a hefty fine or even criminal trespassing charges.
While some trained daredevils have successfully gone over the falls in barrels and other contraptions since the early 1900s, many others have died. According to Cliftonhill.com, six people have died attempting the feat since 1920, with the most recent death being recorded in 2017 when American resident Kirk Jones attempted to go over the falls in an inflatable ball with his pet boa constrictor, Misty.
Accidental deaths have also been reported. In 2011, a 20-year-old Japanese student died after climbing a railing to get a better look at the falls. Reports suggest she straddled the railing while holding an umbrella and slipped, falling into the Niagara River before being swept over the falls.
“Climbing the retaining wall presents great risks to the individual(s) but also to responding emergency services personnel,” Forcier says.
“Safety is a shared responsibility.”
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