Youtuber ‘cements’ his head into microwave
FIREMEN have complained after they spent an hour freeing a Youtube video blogger who “cemented” his head into a microwave as a prank.
Jay Swingler, 22, became stuck after filling the microwave with Polyfilla and then sticking his head, which was wrapped in a plastic bag, inside.
The mixture soon set and friends became concerned as Mr Swingler struggled to breathe through the plastic tube he was using for air.
The group spent an hour and a half trying to free Mr Swingler before five firemen from the West Midlands Fire Service arrived at the address in Wolverhampton on Wednesday.
The stunt was carried out by the “Tgfbro” Youtube channel as part of its “extreme Christmas calendar” series, in which Mr Swingler and his friend Romell Henry set each other challenges each day. The pair have amassed almost three million subscribers since 2012, and the microwave prank clocked up one million views.
The fire crew faced a tricky operation as much of the microwave was welded together and they had to videocall colleagues for advice.
Simon Woodward, a station commander, said that as Swingler’s life was in danger, the fire service was “not going to charge” him the £650 deployment cost. It is not clear if Swingler earns money from his Youtube channel. If a video carries ads, bloggers with enough of a following can earn around £1.10 per 1,000 views. However, Youtube policy states that videos showing “dangerous” acts are not suitable for advertising.