Recent reports about death by boat jumping in Alabama linked the accidents to a TikTok trend.
The supposed challenge involved leaping off a boat moving at a high speed.
However, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) Marine Patrol Division has since debunked the incidents' association with the social media platform.
No direct links to TikTok
ALEA issued a statement clarifying that there is a lack of evidence linking the fatal boat jumps to TikTok.
"On Monday, Jul. 3, a news story was shared regarding 'first responders warning against a deadly boating TikTok trend after recent drownings' in Alabama. However, please be advised the information released to the news outlet was incorrect. The ALEA's Marine Patrol Division does not have any record(s) of boating or marine-related fatalities in Alabama that can be directly linked to TikTok or a trend on TikTok. One individual was fatality injured after jumping from a moving vessel in 2020 and a similar marine-related fatality occurred in 2021, however, both fatalities cannot be linked to TikTok.”
This statement was posted on ALEA's Twitter on Jul. 11.
"Blown out of proportion"
Jim Dennis, captain with the Childersburg Rescue Squad, had previously commented on the issue in an interview with WBMA.
"Last six months, we have had four drownings that were easily avoidable. They were doing a TikTok challenge," he said.
After the problem of boat jumping gained traction on media platforms, even becoming a topic of discussion on the Today Show, Dennis later remarked that the matter "got blown way out of proportion".
“If there’s data supporting that [boat jumping deaths in Alabama], I don’t have that," he said.
Regardless of whether or not the deaths did actually result from a TikTok trend, Dennis said boat jumping was "nothing new", reported Alabama Local News.
“As far as TikTok, there’s not a challenge on there that’s any good," the rescue squad captain opined.
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Top images via @dayyachtcharters and @nataliejillfit on TikTok