SYRACUSE, Utah (ABC4) – A new TikTok trend is leaving people with severe injuries and emotional damage.
Known as the #ORBEEZCHALLENGE OR #POPOUTCHALLENGE, the challenge involves people shooting Orbeez with toy guns at strangers and recording the victim’s reactions.
Orbeez balls are self-absorbent polymer beads that grow larger when soaked in water. The popular trend has already caused multiple injuries to unsuspecting victims.
According to NPR, a child in Georgia was left with a bloody face after being shot by teens who had modified the balls to be more dangerous.
The trend has now hit Utah residents, including a Draper teenager who was reportedly was hit in the eye by “juveniles” shooting gel balls from a moving vehicle.
The teenager may have been left with permanent eye damage.
In another incident, a man in Syracuse reported being hit by the balls from a moving car while biking.
“After being shot, I felt violated which caused me to have a panic attack. I could have crashed my bike and the driver was shooting me with his eyes off the road … I called 911 and reported them because of the dangers that this could cause to others,” said the victim.
The victim has now started a petition in order to get the challenge banned from TikTok.
