Over the past week, millions around the world have been consumed with a sudden need to catch 'em all. 'Em, of course, refers to the sometimes cute, sometimes disturbing creatures, known as Pokemon, which have begun popping up everywhere following the release of the smartphone app “Pokemon Go” last Wednesday.
The game, developed by Niantic, Inc., uses augemented reality technology to generate Pokemon in various places, allowing players to go out and collect them, train them and eventually fight against another player's Pokemon at designated locations called gymns. It has quickly launched to the top of smartphone app charts, having been declared the biggest mobile game in U.S. history and currently has more daily active users than Twitter.
However, “Pokemon Go's” addictiveness has begun to cause considerable issues in the real world. Many players have sustained minor injuries walking around and hunting for Pokemon, while loitering around locations associated with gymns and Pokestops has caused distubances around the country. We here at MRCTV decided to put together a list of the most serious incidents involving “Pokemon Go” so far. Click through the slides to find out the chaos Pikachu has been causing!
1. Pokemon Cliff-Diving
Two men took a tumble down a beachside cliff in Encinitas, Calif. in their search for Pokemon Wednesday afternoon. They reportedly fell at least 75 feet before landing on the sand below.
According to a report by the Coast News Group:
Emergency crews and lifeguards discovered the first man on the beach shortly after 1 p.m. and were tending to him when they spotted the second man on the side of the bluff, according to Joint Fire Management Services Battalion Chief Robbie Ford.
According to a press release, Sheriff’s deputies said the two males were playing Pokémon GO on their cell phones, when they went over the side to retrieve 'prizes.'
If the prize they were searching for was "Dumbest 'Pokemon Go' Fail," they have a good shot at claiming first place.
The men were taken to Scripps La Jolla Trauma Center to be treated for "moderate injuries," which probably included a severely bruised ego.
2. Finding More Than a Squirtle
On her quest to become the very best, Shayla Williams of Riverton, Wyo. discovered a dead boy in the river near her home last Friday morning.
"I woke up this morning, and I wanted to go get a water Pokemon. So I just got up and went for my little walk, a walk to catch Pokemon," Williams explained to KCWY.
She ended up finding a lot more than she'd been hoping for when she reached the river. As far as I know, there's no "corpse" type of Pokemon in the game.
"I didn’t know what to do,” Wiggins went on to say. "I was really scared, so I was just like, 'I should just call 911.' And then I called 911, and they told me to go wait up at the highway for a police officer."
The police soon arrived and recovered the body, an adult male, and do not suspect foul play. This upsetting ordeal has not dissuaded Williams from continuing to search the water for Pokemon.
"Yeah, I might go get a water [P]okemon. I’m going to try," she said. Knowing the alternative, let's hope Williams found what she was searching for the second time.
3. After Hours Zoo Arrest
A pair of immature Pokemon trainers decided it would be totally okay if they wandered around their local zoo in Toledo, Ohio after closing hours to look for computer-generated critters. Suffice it to say, they were wrong.
Robin Bartholomy and Adrian Crawford, ages 25 and 26, respectively, were arrested Thursday morning by zoo security next to the tiger exhibit after allegedly entering the zoo around 2:30 a.m. to hunt down some Pokemon.
Lt. Joe Heffernan, a public information officer with the Toledo police, showed little sympathy for the duo's decision-making in his statement to CBS8's Inside Edition:
They’ll have to go see a judge and get a court date and explain what they’re doing. [...] They are certainly old enough to know better. The fact that you’re playing a video game on your phone is not going to play well as an excuse in court.
Bartholomy and Crawford were scheduled to appear in Toledo Municipal Court last Friday. According to Inside Edition's report, "Ohio’s criminal code classifies trespassing as a fourth degree misdemeanor, which could land the pair in jail for up to 30 days."
One wonders if these partners-in-crime will be able to survive such an extended period of time away from their phones and the Pokemon GO app.
4. Robbed on the GO
Several unsuspecting players were reportedly robbed at gunpoint in Missouri last weekend, their Pokemon unable to protect them from the world's real dangers.
According to a post on the O'Fallon Missouri Police Department's Facebook page, the four suspects were apprehended around 2 a.m. on Sunday morning with a handgun. They were believed to be guilty of several Pokemon GO-related robberies in the surrounding area.
"...the way we believe [Pokemon GO] was used is you can add a beacon to a pokestop to lure more players. Apparently they were using the app to locate [people] standing around in the middle of a parking lot or whatever other location they were in," the post went on to say.
Pro-tip: don't wander into an area you don't know well and risk getting mugged for a fake, mythical creature. Chances are you'll end up with no Pokemon and no phone or wallet.
5. Hit While Hunting
Autumn Diesroth was allegedly hit by a car on Tuesday while crossing a busy intersection in Tarentum, Pa. after catching a Pokemon in a nearby museum.
The fifteen-year-old was hospitalized "with a collarbone injury, a foot injury and several cuts and bruises" according to WPXI, her scars an example of what happens when you don't look both ways before you cross the street.
However, the teenager and her mother, Tracy Nolan, put the blame on the game rather than Diesroth's rash choice to run across a highway during rush hour.
"Kids don't just cross a highway. They're not gonna walk across a highway for no reason," Nolan told WTAE. "This thing had her walking across a highway to find a Pokemon. When she called and said she was hit by a car, I blamed the game."
Yes, “Pokemon Go” should not put the kids playing it in danger, but the game didn't force Diestroth to run through traffic. In fact, the app constantly reminds users to stay wary of their surroundings, an instruction too often ignored or treated lightly.
6. Watch Out For That Tree
The same day the National Safety Council urged users to not play “Pokemon Go” while driving, police claim a man crashed his car into a tree in Autumn, N.Y. Tuesday night while playing, you guessed it, “Pokemon Go.”
Police told reporters that the man, 28 years old, admitted to becoming distracted by the game while behind the wheel of his car, causing him to veer off the road and slam front-first into a tree.
While the driver was not seriously injured, the front of his car was crushed and mangled, all because its owner cared more about catching a Pokemon than his vehicle and his own safety.
The Autumn Police Department issued these guidelines for playing the game after the accident:
- Don't play the game while driving a car or bicycle.
- Don't trespass on private property just to "catch" a Pokemon.
- Avoid staring down at your phone and be aware of hazards like roadways, drop-offs and waterways.
- Be cautious of who you share your location with.
- Don't travel alone.
Any of these common sense reminders could have saved many of the victims on our list from embarrassment or even personal harm. We can only hope users wise up on the proper times and places to play “Pokemon Go” before someone gets seriously injured.