You might recall soiling your pants back in mid-May while watching the exhilarating but phenomenally stupid viral video, seen above, of two teen bros who climbed the Golden Gate Bridge, then did all sorts of outlandishly ill-advised acrobatics without any safety gear. Their GoPro exploits captured the Bay Area’s imagination along with plenty of obligatory public condemnation, but justice appears to catching up with them. The Chronicle reports that the climbers face up to a year in jail now that they've been charged with trespassing.
These alleged trespassers and they’re not really “alleged trespassers,” considering they posted YouTube video of the caper and both completely owned up to the act and offered to consult with Homeland Security to point out the bridge’s safety flaws are 18-year-old Peter “Teatime” Kurer and 21-year-old Thomas Rector. They’re not local boys, they live in Wisconsin. But Marin County District Attorney Edward S. Berberian has ordered the two to appear in court here September 12 to face two misdemeanor charges of trespassing and climbing a toll bridge, which carry a possible one-year jail sentence for each of the daredevil duo.
According to the Associated Press, “Neither responded to request for comment sent via their Facebook pages.”
SF Weekly points out that previous bridge-climbing daredevils have received stiff legal consequences. A Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District spokesperson said of one previous bridge climber, “When the investigation was completed, our federal partners placed the individual on a Do Not Fly list, which resulted in that person losing their job.”
The youngsters already face a civil lawsuit from the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District for trespassing and creating a public nuisance for profit (the two have apparently made money from YouTube ad impressions of their video). Of course, they would have completely gotten away with this had they not filmed their footage, posted it to YouTube, and bragged about it on social media.
Related: Same Guy Who Made 'Hollyweed' Sign Hangs 'IMPEACH' Banner On Golden Gate Bridge
