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Local teens go swimming in mall fountains trying to make viral videos

Posted at 7:05 PM, Aug 29, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-29 19:06:20-04

There seems to be a new trend among teens trying to make viral videos.

They are jumping into fountains in public places, posting the video online and that could land them in hot water.

A teenager jumped in the fountain at the Somerset Collection mall Monday and causing a disturbance, before security caught him.

This comes after a similar pranks have been taking place in our area and across the country.

The 17-year-old boy wore only a bra and shorts when he jumped into the fountain on the north side of Somerset Collection Monday.

He says he had other people film this prank to make it go viral.

It's a disturbing new trend among teens trying to get more "likes" and "follows" on social media.

Another video was posted on Facebook two weeks ago, showing a young man swimming in the fountain at Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights.

This comes after a video out of Colorado went viral earlier this year when a teen jumped into an aquarium at a Bass Pro Shop, injuring himself in the process.

Troy police Sgt Megan Lehman said, "We would encourage people to think things through are you causing a hazard to yourself a public hazard, is it a safety issue, what type of laws could you be breaking, before going through with something like this."

In Monday's incident, the teen is seen playing in the fountain for a couple minutes before taking off.

Security caught him and Troy police were called.

"We like if people didn't do things like this so we can focus on more important things."

The teen could face disorderly conduct charges, especially when the evidence is on social media.

Police have this message for anyone who thinks it's a good idea to do similar pranks in public all to make a viral video.

"Don't be stupid. Think it through. Don't break any laws. Don't put evidence out there that's going to follow you around for the rest of your life too."

The teen who jumped into the Somerset fountain is now banned from the mall for a year.

Lakeside Mall officials also banned the young men involved in the incident there.