Video: Wrecking Ball Smashes Van

It's no Man Getting Hit By Football, but this video of a Dodge van getting smashed by a wrecking ball is probably worth ten of your seconds, depending on what you've got going on today. While there is some debate as to the origins of the video—one YouTube commenter astutely declares, "has to be fake i live in nyc and I would have heard about this shit in the news and on the front of the ny post"—we're pretty sure this looks like a filmed stunt for a movie, or maybe a viral marketing ad. If so, you're welcome Astroboy!

Below, a photo from the scene sent by "NineDaves," who tells us: "It's on 25th and Park, filming about a month ago, a movie called THE OTHER GUYS. Here's a shot of the cast filming there. If you zoom in, you'll see Sammy Jackson and The Rock."

Courtesy NineDaves

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By John Del Signore in News on November 30, 2009 2:32 PM

Comments [rss]

aydiosmio

The Other Guys was filming a motorcycle stunt staged around 40th and 7th ave. This movie looks like a huge pile from the synopsis, but I do enjoy a good stunt.

MsMarvel

I happened to be walking by this on my way home from the gym. Everyone was annoyed that they were having to walk an extra block for reasons they didn't know. I cut around and walked behind that bus in the video instead of walking down 25th towards 5th. So glad I did!

When people saw this, I swear, business men were grinning like boys with a new Tonka truck. It was awesome to watch.

Think2wice

Car commercial?

"The new 2010 Lexus can detect and outrun out-of-control wrecking balls. Isn't your piece of mind worth another 20 grand."

hotstepper

just think of what that wrecking ball would have done to a cyclist.

Kreo

The ball looks to be 6 feet in diameter, slightly "shorter" than the van. Wrecking balls are usually solid cast iron, a cubic foot of steel weighs around 500 pounds. 6 foot ball is 113 cubic feet, and would weigh 56547 pounds. This makes one think: 1) such wrecking ball can't even exist 2) this ball is presumably 20 times heavier than a minivan, it would just slice through the van.

Julie

I work a couple blocks from here and happened to be walking by when they did this--it was at least a month ago. Big crowd had formed on the other side of the street and had no clue why, so I lingered for a minute or two and then BAM.

jaycjay

Heh. You can even hear someone right at end of the video saying "that was right on target."

jaycjay

As a couple of the YouTube comments point out, you can see the hydraulic catapult attached to the van's undercarriage. Most likely that hit from the wrecking ball, hitting as high as it does (to be sure to not actually injure the stunt driver) would just smash through the top of it.

So the driver hit a button as the ball hit, deploying the arm underneath, which struck the pavement and flipped the van.

sunnyd317

Yeah, wrecking balls have been illegal in NYC for a while now. Impressive stunt, though!

NannyState

I was hoping for "The Lost Language Of Cranes 2".

Think2wice

HA! Good one :D

That gay Londoner's neurotic ex-boyfriend is back...with a vengeance!

Starring Christian Bale and Clive Owen and directed by action/gay/British movie savant Ang Lee.