“That’s a no for me, dawg…”
I’ve had Google alerts for “surfing” news for years now. But a handful of urgent alerts that ping my inbox daily are for viral train surfing headlines. I’ve never understood why standing on top of something that moves has to be coined “surfing,” but there are bigger things in life worth getting caught up in. Anyway, many people know the train surfing trend has been big on social media in places like New York where, surprise, trains are kind of everywhere.
I can vouch I’m not the only person on The Inertia staff who gets these train surfing notifications daily. The most recent viral one crossed our feeds over the weekend and the irony couldn’t be missed: two men train surfing…along the coast.
The video shows one man walking on top of a car as the train flies north, a picture-perfect Southern California sunset and small waves in the background. If you look close enough you can see a sizable crowd of people floating in a lineup. Another body lies on top of the train and appears to be filming or photographing the supposed train surfer. All this while locals who gather on the cliff in Del Mar to take in the sunset try to figure out what the hell is going on. How did they get up there? Why are people dumb enough to do this? Is social media clout really worth that level of risk?
According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, on Monday the two teenagers were identified and arrested after the stunt.
The release says multiple people called to report the event on Friday and deputies immediately tracked both men down at separate stops in Solana Beach.
“Both individuals admitted to riding on top of the train. They were subsequently arrested for trespassing on railroad property. No injuries were reported,” the release says. “The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office wants to remind the public that individuals who engage in trespassing or dangerous behavior around railroad equipment/tracks pose serious safety risks to themselves and others.”
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