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3rd teen arrested after boy falls down Queensboro Bridge shaft
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Feb 20, 2026
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By
Giulia Heyward
Published Feb 20, 2026
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Police Friday said they’ve arrested a third teen after an incident in which a 16-year-old boy fell from the Queensboro Bridge shaft in a social media stunt Monday, suffering major trauma.
Police said the third person arrested is a 14-year-old boy who is being charged with reckless endangerment and criminal trespassing. Police previously arrested a 15-year-old and another 14-year-old who turned himself in. Police have not named any of the arrested teens because they are minors.
The victim — identified by family as Frankie Allocca — sustained critical injuries and was hospitalized after falling 50 feet down the shaft earlier this month. He remained in the shaft for hours before being rescued by the authorities.
Police said Friday the investigation is still ongoing.
Allocca’s mother, Vanessa Tineo, told Gothamist earlier this week her son had been with a group of friends participating in “urban exploration,” or “urbex” — where practitioners explore off-limits areas. But she said when he fell, his friends left him there. Tineo said Allocca suffered brain injuries and has been in and out of consciousness this week.
Another teen — 18-year-old Adriana Vicente — told Gothamist she contacted 911 around 5:45 p.m. Monday after being notified by Allocca's friends “because they didn’t know what to do.” Police said they initially failed to find Alloca after a 25-minute search, but that the NYPD and FDNY came back to the scene hours later after another 911 call, leading to his rescue.
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public safety
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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