PARIS — French police are warning young people about the dangers of a dare spreading on Facebook that has left a young man dead and another severely injured.

Police confirmed on Friday that a 19-year-old drowned a day earlier after riding his bicycle into a port in Beganne in western Brittany while a friend filmed him. Another youth was injured for life after diving headfirst into shallow water near Calais.

The challenge called “A l’eau ou au resto” (Into the water or to the restaurant), dares friends to jump fully clothed into water and film it – or buy dinner at a restaurant.

Col. Sylvain Laniel of the Gendarmerie said on the iTeli TV station that the bike rider had his ankle attached to the bike.

“Don’t be influenced by a stupid phenomenon of the moment,” national police warned on Facebook.

Police counseled young people to “show friends you are more intelligent than that” by refusing the dare, and added that videos of such pranks might one day compromise job applications.

In February, officials in Britain said several deaths had been linked to “neknominate,” an online dare to drink in excess.

In the United States, several people have been injured participating in a Cold Water Challenge on Facebook. The dare is to jump into cold water, or give money to a designated charity.

A 16-year-old girl in Wisconsin suffered knee ligament damage, and a student in Illinois fractured an ankle.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.