The metro station where he gave his foolhardy performance is known, appropriately enough, as Clot. Now, police in Barcelona have located and charged the 23-year-old man whose dangerous leaps across a metro line went viral on social media. Although the video was recorded on April 22nd at the metro station in the Clot neighbourhood, it exploded on social media last week. The images led to the alleged perpetrator being identified and reported.
Sources have told this newspaper's El Caso.cat section that the man is a 23-year-old Spanish national who is well known on social media for posting photos and videos of extreme feats, such as the one in the video which went viral, where he takes a running jump from one platform to another, across the path of an approaching train which is just metres away.
Perpetrator identified thanks to surveillance cameras
As a result of the police investigation, a second young man who took part in the preparation of the action was also reported: the camera person. Detailed analysis of the different images recorded by the station's surveillance cameras made it possible to identify the perpetrator of the jump. As for his companion, he had already been identified on the day of the incident by metro security guards.
Barcelona metro operator TMB made a complaint about the highly dangerous action, incivic behaviour which entailed serious risk not only for the person directy involved themselves but also for other public transport users. The individuals involved also threatened the security guard who tried to identify them.
In addition, it was found that the pair entered the station without validating a ticket, and left by opening an emergency door without any valid reason.
Their behaviour posed serious danger to others using the metro system - in particular, due to the possibility that their action could have prompted an emergency stop from the driver, putting all train passengers at risk.
The jumper was arrested last year
The young man who jumped in front of the train was arrested in 2020 in an operation in which 48 people were arrested for causing damage valued at 22 million euros to train and metro cars in Barcelona. The arrestees were charged with a series of offences including public disorder affecting essential transportation services, injuries, threats and coercion.