Police are investigating after a teenager hurled a heavy chair over a balcony at Westfield Stratford shopping centre, nearly hitting shoppers below.
Incident Caught on Camera
The shocking act was captured on Snapchat and later shared on TikTok, sparking widespread outrage. The video shows a young male struggling to lift a large blue seat before throwing it over the first-floor railing of the east London shopping centre.
As the teen attempted to pick up the chair, a friend filming could be heard saying, “There’s no way this guy’s doing this, oh my god.” Moments later, the seat was dropped from the balcony, landing just inches away from five unsuspecting shoppers.
The video then shows the group of three boys—one who threw the chair, the person filming, and another friend—running away laughing. As they reached the top of an escalator, the boy who threw the seat turned and said, “I can’t believe I did that.”
The footage was later uploaded to Snapchat, captioned: “No way bro almost killed someone, Nahhh,” followed by laughing emojis.
Social Media Backlash and Police Investigation
The video has sparked outrage, with many social media users condemning the reckless act and even calling it attempted murder.
One commenter wrote:
“If there was a mother and a pram with her baby underneath, no one survives that. It’s attempted murder, and he should be found.”
Another added:
“I’m imagining this falling on an elderly person or a toddler. That could have been fatal.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed they are investigating the dangerous stunt, which occurred on Saturday, March 1 but was only reported to police on Monday, March 3.
Police Statement
Inspector Dan Window from the Stratford Neighbourhood Policing Team said:
“Police are investigating after a heavy seat was thrown over a barrier from the first floor of Westfield shopping centre in Stratford on Saturday, 1 March.
“The seating was reported to have narrowly missed members of the public below. Fortunately, there were no injuries.”
“The matter was reported to police on Monday, 3 March, and enquiries continue.
Westfield Shopping Centre Responds
A Westfield Stratford spokesperson declined to comment, stating that the case is being handled by the Metropolitan Police.
Authorities are urging anyone who witnessed the incident or has information about those involved to come forward.
