Internet chuckles as video emerges of teen climbing cell phone tower in Florida and livestreaming it
RIVERVIEW, FLORIDA: Heart-wrenching video shows a teenage influencer climbing hundreds of feet up a Florida cell phone tower risking his life all for the sake of social media likes, according to cops, per ABC News.
Nineteen-year-old Trent Degulis was apprehended scaling the tower in Riverview late Saturday, February 24, and told WSTP after his arrest, "I wanted to see the sunset."
Trent Degulis was arrested by Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
According to ABC News, Trent Degulis was approximately 1,600 feet up the tower in police night-vision footage, which was released on Monday, February 25.
However, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, cellular towers typically only reach heights of around 400 feet, and authorities were uncertain of the exact extent of his climb.
A responding deputy, as heard in bodycam footage, asked the teen, "You made it all the way to the top-top?" To which Degulis responded, "Yeah." The deputy then remarked, "That's pretty crazy."
According to a spokesperson for the sheriff's office, the teen informed deputies that he is a social media influencer who posts videos of himself climbing tall structures.
Initially, the 19-year-old was charged and arrested with misdemeanor trespassing. However, he was later released from the county jail the following day on a bond of $500.
Internet trolls the teenager for his act
The video showcasing Degulis' daring feat was circulated on various social media platforms such as Facebook and X. A user on Facebook commented, "I wonder how many job offers he is going to get after this."
Another user opined and sarcastically asked, "Did he fry his brain being so close to that tower?"
The following user humorously remarked, "Was that the reason for the interrupted phone services?" Another user commented, "They must have watched the movie Fall."
The subsequent user commented, "Leave him alone, he's just trying to fix AT&T's mess."
