“We Got Pranked” — Dejected TikTok Users Duped by New Year’s Eve Brooklyn Bridge Fireworks Post

A bunch of TikTok users learned the hard way why you shouldn't believe everything you see on social media. Folks in the New York Metropolitan area were led to believe from the popular video-sharing application that a fireworks display would take place near the Brooklyn Bridge on New Year's Eve.

Throngs of folks excited to see the light show based solely on these social media reports lined up outside the Brooklyn Bridge to take in the sights and ring in the New Year with a bang.

But the fireworks never went off. That's because the clips they saw online stating that the fireworks show was happening were false.

It seems that no one who showed up for the display bothered to confirm whether or not the display would actually occur in the city of New York. No one checked in with the boroughs of Manhattan or Brooklyn to see if the East River suspension bridge was going to have a light show.

Presumably, no one checked any official social media accounts from these boroughs either to corroborate whether or not this was the case. That's because the boroughs never uploaded anything of the sort.

Videos of dejected folks quickly populated social media accounts.

One X user penned, "A TikTok rumor brought thousands of gullible New Yorkers to the Brooklyn Bridge for a New Year's Eve Fireworks Show, Midnight came — nothing happened. Imagine standing on the Brooklyn Bridge at 12:00 AM waiting for fireworks that never existed. TikTok said, 'Trust me, Bro!'"

Another user on the app reveled in the disappointed congregants: "Thousands of people gathered for New Years at Brooklyn Bridge because they thought there was gonna be a fireworks show and then nothing happened LMAOOOO."

Another social media post shared how videos created with artificial intelligence is what duped people into thinking that the Brooklyn Bridge was going to have a phenomenal fireworks display, with streams of controlled explosives streaming from off the bridge as impressive lights rocketed into the air.

The International Business Times also commented on the incident and highlighted it as a cautionary tale as to how damaging misleading information can be. Furthermore, the outlet said that some of the disheartened Brooklyn Bridge attendees said that they saw information from TimeOut New York and Financial Express that stated there would be fireworks displays on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Indeed, TimeOut did state in this article that New Yorkers would be able to view fireworks at the "Brooklyn Heights Promenade." The outlet wrote: "You can often spot multiple fireworks displays across the harbor, with the Statue of Liberty and downtown skyline in view."

Speaking from personal experience, I visited the Upper West Side NYC on the night of New Year's Ever and after crossing the George Washington Bridge while driving southbound on the Henry Hudson Highway, I saw fireworks in the sky during my commute.

IB Times also referenced that longtime New Yorkers scoffed at the idea of fireworks being visible from the Brooklyn Bridge, stating that their time living in the area informed them that the area wasn't known for fireworks showcases.

Additionally, others explained that the fireworks displays shown at the Brooklyn Bridge weren't AI-generated, but rather "recycled" posts from July 4th celebrations.