YouTuber Jay Swingler cemented his head in a microwave oven and had to be rescued
A 22-year-old British YouTuber who had to be freed by firefighters after cementing his head inside a microwave oven says the incident left him "traumatised." Responding to outrage at the stunt on social media, the prankster appeared less-than-apologetic, shutting down trolls saying he "nearly died." Though Jay Swingler said he would be "more than happy" to pay a fine for any inconvenience caused to emergency services, firefighters said they wouldn't charge him because his life had genuinely been in danger.
Mr Swingler, who runs YouTube channel TGFBro with Romell Henry, routinely shares clips of reckless stunts, dares and challenges with his over three million subscribers.
The stunt saw Mr Swingler fill a microwave oven (which wasn't plugged in, thankfully) with quick-drying cement. He then wrapped a plastic bag around his head, stuck a plastic tube in it to help him breathe and stuck his head in the microwave. Then, he waited for the cement to harden.
The prank quickly took a dangerous turn, however, when Mr Swingler found himself stuck in the cement. After over an hour of struggling to help him out, Mr Swingler's friends finally called emergency services.
Firefighters in turn took another hour to get him out. They tweeted pictures of the rescue efforts, saying they were left "seriously unimpressed."
A video of the stunt, filmed for Mr Swingler's YouTube channel, was uploaded on Friday and has been watched over two million times already. It includes the rescue.
The video contains strong language, viewer discretion is advised
In a second video posted on YouTube some 14 hours before writing this, Mr Swingler explained why he did what he did.
"The plan was literally to set my head in there but not let it set completely. It (the cement) was like a thick jelly... if I really wanted to, I could pull it (the microwave) off and it would slide off. I thought 10 more minutes wouldn't hurt... (but the cement) solidified a lot faster than I thought."
Though Mr Swingler thanked firefighters for "doing their job" and rescuing him, he bragged his video had racked up an impressive number of views and was being covered by news outlets across the UK.
"That's how you know you're doing something right on YouTube," he said.
However, in a video statement tweeted by West Midlands Fire Service, Station Commander Simon Woodward warned: "Don't put your lives at risk for other people's entertainment."
Mr Swingler, who runs YouTube channel TGFBro with Romell Henry, routinely shares clips of reckless stunts, dares and challenges with his over three million subscribers.
The stunt saw Mr Swingler fill a microwave oven (which wasn't plugged in, thankfully) with quick-drying cement. He then wrapped a plastic bag around his head, stuck a plastic tube in it to help him breathe and stuck his head in the microwave. Then, he waited for the cement to harden.
The prank quickly took a dangerous turn, however, when Mr Swingler found himself stuck in the cement. After over an hour of struggling to help him out, Mr Swingler's friends finally called emergency services.
Firefighters in turn took another hour to get him out. They tweeted pictures of the rescue efforts, saying they were left "seriously unimpressed."
We're seriously unimpressed.
— West Midlands Fire (@WestMidsFire) December 7, 2017
Five of our firefighters were tied up for an hour this afternoon, freeing a YouTube pranker whose head had been 'cemented' inside a microwave oven. Read more: https://t.co/6bZReGuKQX (Photos West Midlands Fire Service) pic.twitter.com/2ch2UhszeH
A video of the stunt, filmed for Mr Swingler's YouTube channel, was uploaded on Friday and has been watched over two million times already. It includes the rescue.
The video contains strong language, viewer discretion is advised
In a second video posted on YouTube some 14 hours before writing this, Mr Swingler explained why he did what he did.
"The plan was literally to set my head in there but not let it set completely. It (the cement) was like a thick jelly... if I really wanted to, I could pull it (the microwave) off and it would slide off. I thought 10 more minutes wouldn't hurt... (but the cement) solidified a lot faster than I thought."
Though Mr Swingler thanked firefighters for "doing their job" and rescuing him, he bragged his video had racked up an impressive number of views and was being covered by news outlets across the UK.
"That's how you know you're doing something right on YouTube," he said.
However, in a video statement tweeted by West Midlands Fire Service, Station Commander Simon Woodward warned: "Don't put your lives at risk for other people's entertainment."
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