New Jersey

NJ Schools Warn Parents of ‘Skull Breaker Challenge' After Gruesome Injuries Reported

The results can be scary, with the victims falling harshly to the ground, risking serious injury

NBCUniversal, Inc.

They may be trying to go viral, but the consequences could send them to the hospital.

The latest internet trend among teenagers and adolescents is the "Skull Breaker Challenge," involving three people standing side-by-side. All three say they are going to jump in the air, but the two on the sides instead stay on the ground and kick the middle person's legs out from under them.

The results can be scary, with the victims falling harshly to the ground. In Massachusetts, a 13-year-old girl ended up in the hospital with a concussion. Locally, a boy the same age was hurt in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

"I think it’s pointless. I think people can get hurt. I think people can get seriously injured,” Westfield High School senior Josh Schuttevaer said, adding that he's heard of some injury horror stories as a result of the prank.

"I’ve heard people crack open their heads, hurt her elbow and stuff like that," he said.

The trend gained popularity on the video and social media platform Tik Tok. Now schools around the region are starting to take action to warn parents about the stunt.

Westfield Public Schools sent a letter to parents, telling then to "Please talk to your child(ren) about this and other dangerous trends on social media and the Internet as we work together to keep our students safe.”

The district said they haven't had any reports of students at their schools, and would like to keep it that way.

A spokesperson for Tik Tok told NBC New York that "the behavior in question is a violation of our Community Guidelines and we will continue to remove this content from our platform."

Contact Us