TikTok used location tracking to send ‘railroad themed suicide videos’ to LI teen who lived by tracks — and later walked in front of train: court docs

NY Post ^ | 02/18/2025 | Priscilla DeGregory

[DFG]

TikTok used location tracking to send “railroad themed suicide videos” to a Long Island teen living near a commuter train track before he tragically killed himself by walking in front of a train, court papers claim.

The parents of Chase Nasca, 16, of Bayport having been seeking to hold the social-media giant and its parent company ByteDance responsible for their son’s suicide in 2022, arguing its addictive algorithms bombarded him with thousands of suicide-related videos before his death.

The China-owned platform actually went so far as to tailor the morbid videos around the fact that Chase lived close to the Long Island Rail Road — even though the promising high-school soccer player had only started out seeking “uplifting and motivational” videos, according to a filing Feb. 5 opposing TikTok’s bid to get the suit thrown out.

“Some of the videos [TikTok] directed to Chase, who lived a quarter mile from the LIRR tracks, encouraged young people to end their lives by stepping in front of a moving train,” the court documents say. “This was no coincidence.”

In fact, TikTok has copped to the fact that it monitors user location data to send people “relevant” content, the filing says.

“TikTok used Chase’s geolocating data to send him … railroad themed suicide videos both before and after his death,” the court papers claim.

In December, TikTok filed a routine motion to dismiss the case filed by parents Dean and Michelle Nasca in 2023 on the grounds that content on the app is “protected speech” covered by the First Amendment. It also argued that product liability laws couldn’t be brought against it since it doesn’t provide a “tangible” product, Newsday first reported.

[BenLurkin]

Killer algorithm.

[doc maverick]

There’s been several who walked in front of trains in Oregon too.
One just two weeks ago.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Some people are right b*stards.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

America doesn't need TikTok any more then we need a sewer pipe overflowing into our homes.

[Angelino97]

America doesn't need TikTok any more then we need a sewer pipe overflowing into our homes.

America doesn't need Facebook or Instagram either. But if we have social media, it's better to have competition. Less likelihood of censorship.

[tflabo]

Back around 1980 I worked at Central Islip Psychiatric Hospital there on Long Island. One of the patients escaped and committed suicide on the RR tracks decapitated. Really sad he was about 28yrs old, nice looking guy with a normal look. Apparently troubled deeply to do such a final act.

[dp0622]

That sucks.

This kid was having major issues, I would guess, because all the suicide videos in the world couldn’t have gotten me to kill myself at 16.

BUT all of those videos combined with some severe mental issues..I guess it could and did do it.

The man you are talking about needed no such videos.

There isn’t a perfect world..one where free speech will NEVEr affect anyone negatively.

There should be boundaries, but i’d rather have free speeh than not.

And screw tik tok.

[antidemoncrat]

Seems to me TikTok has taken the place of the practice young people did in High School by bulling the ones they considered Inferior to their self and allowing many to just show off.