A woman trying a viral “streetlight escape challenge” in China became stuck around a streetlight pole and had to be rescued by police.
Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post reported on April 22 that the woman, identified by her surname Song, lives in Jiangsu province in eastern China. She attempted the challenge while out for a walk after dinner, after seeing it online.
The stunt involves sitting with a streetlight pole between the legs, crossing the legs around it, then trying to untangle and free oneself. While it can look easy on video, participants can end up tightly locked in place and unable to get out.
Song initially tried it casually, but the more she struggled, the more firmly her legs caught on the pole. Unable to free herself, she called police.
Officers who responded calmed her and guided her to adjust her posture, then helped her unwind her legs. She suffered only temporary numbness in her legs and was not seriously injured, the report said.
Videos of successful attempts have circulated on mainland Chinese social media, with participants slowly rotating around the pole to find an angle to pull one leg free. Failures, however, have led to commotions involving passersby, family members, food delivery workers and, in some cases, police.
Police involved in Song’s rescue warned that the challenge carries hidden safety risks. They said people without sufficient knee flexibility, or who cannot support their body weight, could suffer joint injuries. Prolonged pressure on leg blood vessels can also cause tingling and swelling and, in severe cases, damage to lower-limb tissue.
“Just because it’s popular online doesn’t mean you should try it blindly,” police said, urging people to avoid actions that put themselves in danger.
The incident sparked debate on Chinese social media. One user wrote that most viral challenges are simply meant to attract attention and questioned why people follow them without thinking.
Others said they wanted to try it. Another user said the belief that one can do better than the people in videos appears to encourage such attempts.
China has repeatedly seen waves of unusual online challenges. Past trends have included tying ankles with cable ties and trying to escape, climbing into deep buckets, and wrapping the body in multiple layers of winter blankets.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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