A 15-year-old fan was hospitalized after rapper Destroy Lonely encouraged him to jump off the stage during his July 11 performance at the Beach, Please festival in Costinesti, Romania.
According to Rolling Stone via Romanian outlet Observator, the teen—identified only as Nicolas—joined Destroy Lonely onstage for about a minute before the rapper urged him to leap into the crowd. In a disturbing video of the incident, Destroy Lonely can be seen grabbing Nicolas by the hoodie and pushing him toward the edge, telling him, “I need you to jump right back in there with your friends, you ready?”
Nicolas, who hesitated, eventually jumped and ended up slamming into a barricade. The show continued without pause.
Speaking from a hospital bed in intensive care, Nicolas said, “When I fell, I thought I was dying. I had no more air. I ran out of air. I thought if I didn’t get help here, these would be my last moments.” Doctors later found he had a pulmonary contusion along with liver and kidney injuries. He fell over ten feet and now says he regrets attending the festival. His mother, who was with him, shared plans to take legal action.
The festival’s organizers released a statement saying Nicolas is now stable and recovering well. “We are relieved and grateful to report that [Nicolas] is now in stable condition, recovering well, and expected to make a full recovery,” they said. “At Beach, Please!, our mission is to create unforgettable experiences — never at the expense of safety.”
Due to what’s been called Destroy Lonely’s “irresponsible attitude,” Beach, Please co-founder Andrei Şelaru told Romanian paper Adevarul that the rapper won’t be returning to the festival.
