Boston cop is injured after chaotically hurling himself down children’s slide at newly renovated playground
- A Boston cop sustained injuries descending a children’s slide in a playground
- Mayor Michelle Wu said the city could make it clearer the slide is only for kids
Video of a Boston cop hurtling down a children’s slide before skidding facedown across the playground’s turf has gone viral.
The Boston Police Department said on Tuesday the officer was treated for minor injuries, but did so using his own health insurance and did not miss work.
Multiple viral clips, allegedly filmed by fellow officers, showed the moment the fully-uniformed cop came barreling down the slide in City Hall Plaza in Boston, which underwent a major renovation in November.
As he came out of the slide’s opening, he was knocked against the edge of its exit lane and multiple items from his belt appeared to come loose, including a pair of handcuffs.
As the officer came out of the slide’s opening he was knocked against the edge of its exit lane and multiple items from his belt appeared to come loose
Boston City Hall plaza under underwent a $95million renovation in November 2022. The slide can be seen in the background
On Tuesday afternoon Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said she had not seen the video when asked about it during a press conference, but praised the new playground.
It is not the first time an adult has experienced a rough descent of the slide. In November, Boston City Councilor Erin Murphy shared a video on Twitter in which she lost a shoe while coming down and similarly ended up facedown.
‘I started down the slide sitting straight up and facing forward. I got whipped around in the tunnel and came out backwards and upside down,’ she noted at the time.
The incident involving the currently unnamed cop is not being investigated, according to police.
‘He was hurt and used his own personal medical insurance to be treated,’ Sergeant Detective John Boyle said. ‘He lost no time and has returned to work.’
The source of the video is not clear but multiple versions have gained traction on different social media sites.
On TikTok one version had had been viewed millions of times while another version was posted to Twitter by professional hockey player turned NHL commentator Ryan Whitney.
However, shortly after posting the video he deleted it. ‘I just deleted what I think is one of the funniest videos of all time. I was begged to take it down. Sa,’ he said.
But a number of other users were able to save the video, and different versions are now being disseminated on the web.
The Boston Police Department said on Tuesday the unnamed officer was treated for minor injuries, but did so using his own health insurance
While addressing the incident on Tuesday, Mayor Michelle Wu (pictured in April) suggested the city could make clearer that the slide is only for children
Children are seen playing in the Boston City Plaza playground, which was renovates in November. The slide can be seen in the background
A number of Boston outlets claimed to have identified the officer in question but said they were withholding his name because the incident was not under investigation.
The slide is the centerpiece of an updated playground and was part of a $95million makeover. The renovated space was described as having a ‘kinder brutalist’ style, an official from the mayor’s office told the Boston Globe last year.
While addressing the incident on Tuesday, Mayor Wu suggested the city could make clearer that the slide is only for children. ‘We were just there over the weekend for the Puerto Rican festival,’ she told Boston 25 News.
‘I don’t know what the circumstances were or what happened,’ she added. ‘But, I will definitely check in and make sure the officer is OK. If it looks like that there needs to more signage that this is for children or something, we can do that too.’
According to the outlet the playground entrance has signs indicating it is intended for children aged between two and 12.
‘Everything has a chance to be viral these days,’ said Wu.
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