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Watch: ‘Murder in Progress’ Experiment Terrifies New Yorkers

Mar. 4, 2013 7:00pm Jason Howerton

Ad Agency Stages Horrifying Murder in Progress to Promote New Crime Film

(YouTube)

A New York City-based marketing firm horrified New Yorkers by staging a “murder in progress” to help promote Niels Arden Oplev’s upcoming crime film “Dead Man Down.” While it is being described as an “experiment” to see how people would react if they walked in on a murder in progress, it seems more like a horrifying prank.

The agency set up hidden cameras inside and outside New York City elevator and filmed people’s reactions as they discovered a man trying to strangle another man to death with an extension chord.

While some freak out and run away, others actually attempt to come to the fake victim’s aide. One woman striked the “attacker” with a shopping bag and another man sprayed him with a fire extinguisher. Others just screamed at the man and ordered him to stop.

(YouTube)

The last man shown in the video, though, did something a little unorthodox. He snapped a picture with his phone. We will withhold judgment as he may have been gathering evidence to submit to the police. There is of course the possibility that not every single part of the video is authentic and spontaneous.

Watch the “experiment” below:

What would you do in this situation?

(H/T: Gawker)

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Comments (87)

NewCreationDave
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 9:01pm
What if someone had pulled a gun and shot the “perpetrator?” Would that have been real enough for them?

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- David-FL
  Posted on March 4, 2013 at 9:48pm
  That’s why they staged this in NY.
  
  Report this comment
- michaelmoron
  Posted on March 4, 2013 at 10:27pm
  Do New Yorkers know that the Police have NO OBLIGATION to protect the Individual ?
  
  New York’s “finest” could have sat down and watched this take place, while shoving a doughnut in his pie-hole.
  
  Report this comment
- RichardDBeck
  Posted on March 4, 2013 at 11:55pm
  That’s what I was thinking!
  
  Report this comment
- termyt
  Posted on March 4, 2013 at 11:59pm
  If that had happened, the shooter would have been guilty of murder.
  
  The law and common sense say it is not OK to come into an unknown situation and start shooting. There is no way to know what happened to lead to that situation and who the aggressor actually is.
  
  Since this is all stage play, there is no aggressor and no one is in danger. If you start shooting, you become the aggressor.
  
  Report this comment
- spikebu
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:00am
  I can’t stomach the relatively calm demeanor of some of the people who walked away. The level of detachment is astounding. Seems the next step for NY is to make murder, rape, & assault arena events.
  
  Report this comment
- naughtycal
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 8:02am
  I guess they don’t realize that there are STILL SOME concealed carriers in NY.
  
  Report this comment
- bbabics
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 8:30am
  You could draw your weapon to stop and deter the crime and shoot if one becomes the agressor toward you and you feel that your life was in imminent danger.
  
  Report this comment
- Locked
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 9:02am
  @Michaelmoron
  
  “Do New Yorkers know that the Police have NO OBLIGATION to protect the Individual ?
  
  New York’s “finest” could have sat down and watched this take place, while shoving a doughnut in his pie-hole.”
  
  More likely they would have drawn guns and shot everyone except the perp.
  
  Report this comment
- Bloody Sam
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 9:31am
  I would have produced my pistol but would not have fired on the assailant as my life would not have been in jeopardy. However, I would have gotten the assailant’s attention. If he did not comply, I then would have grabbed a hand full of his hair, jerked back to expose his throat where he would have found my knife…pressing, pressing. I think he would then comply.
  I carry both…ALWAYS. And I am well versed in deployment and use of each.
  It disgusts me to see the men in this video taking out cell phones to record the event.
  *******.
  
  Report this comment
- tyuchic
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 9:38am
  someone will have to die before they finally try to make people stop doing these silly “pranks” and “what would you do” scenarios…. and the people that make them know that, but they keep doing them anyway, for money. the blood will be on their hands.
  
  Report this comment
- battles
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 9:42am
  In Texas you can come to the aid of a third party. It is fortunate that they didn’t do their experiment here. New Yorkers are not a strong folk, so their flippant reaction is not surprising. In states like Texas, Georgia, Mississippi, the men and women of the those and some other strong character states would most likely have reacted.
  
  Report this comment
- objectivetruth
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 9:48am
  You got that right.Don’t come south and try it.You wouldn’t live long.Not only do you have the right to protect yourself from life and body mangling harm.You also have the right to protect others as well.
  As to New Yorkers and their attitudes.I think those who haven’t drank the kool aid are simply numb and used to such antics.In all fairness the theatrical industry has been there for a long time.They are far more used to something like this than other parts of the nation.
  Where I live if they wanted to do this the news would broadcast it for several days in advance to prevent this possible outcome.
  
  Report this comment
- whitedove47h1
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 10:18am
  gun ban there right, in Texas they guy would of been dead
  
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- Wolf
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 10:25am
  Termyt says, ‘…Since this is all stage play, there is no aggressor and no one is in danger. If you start shooting, you become the aggressor…’
  
  And, of course, you’re a mind reading mystic who can tell when something is being staged or if it’s real, so you never make mistakes when confronted with an agressor. What a relief to know there are people such as you- perhaps you should hire out to lawyers so they can know which crimes are ‘real’ and which are ‘faked’. That’d sure cut back on the costs of maintaining prisons.
  
  Report this comment
- DeOppressoLiber
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 11:09am
  PLEASE come to Texas and do that. See how fast a gun comes out.
  
  Can you say 2nd Amendment. I feel safer in Texas.
  
  It was filmed in NYC what do you expect, they deserve what they get. Even a pizza delivery guy could not hit the attacker with a 2 liter club because they are outlawed.
  
  Good PR for the 2nd Amendment
  
  Report this comment
- desertspeaks
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:58pm
  very lucky I wasn’t one of the people standing there because i always carry and they would have had one dead actor!
  
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The-Monk
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 8:46pm
Here’s the issue….

How do you know who is the bad guy? The guy winning?

What if you were attacked and finally got the upper hand and along comes someone and shoots you?

Break up the fight and let Law Enforcement figure it out later.

I saw MACE them both.

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- The-Monk
  Posted on March 4, 2013 at 8:47pm
  Edit;
  
  Say not saw….
  
  Report this comment
- LakeHartwellSailor
  Posted on March 4, 2013 at 9:13pm
  Monk –
  
  You really DON’T know who the perp is…but I would assume the one with the electric cord is the one who is the perp. Doesn’t mean that in the initial attack the victom was able to turn the tables and reverse the attack; but when it comes down to it, you attack the attacker first. If this were to happen in a “gun friendly” venue, and you encounter such an event as an armed citizen, chances are just drawing your weapon would have saved BOTH lives. Unfortunately, in NYC, that option has been taken away.
  
  Report this comment
- Balpit
  Posted on March 4, 2013 at 9:53pm
  Good Samaritans mistakenly helping the perp has happened before. When the victim gets the upper hand, it’s easy to assume they’re the villain.
  
  Report this comment
- Dismayed Veteran
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 11:59am
  Monk
  
  That is the conundrum.
  
  I know everyone preaches no warning shot. In this situation, I think a warning shot would stop the participants in their tracks. Discharging a firearm in an enclosed area really hurts the ear drums. Treat both as the attacker and place in submissive position.
  
  Report this comment
whatthecrazy
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 8:18pm
I had to laugh at the poor woman who was desperately beating him with something,she was really doing her best,God bless her.

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- GeorgieJo
  Posted on March 4, 2013 at 8:29pm
  Noo Yawk is full of loons. Maybe they can use 2 liter bottles to attack the guy. Manny Bloomyburger is bona fide loony.
  
  Report this comment
- Scruff
  Posted on March 4, 2013 at 9:44pm
  You’re right: God Bless Her! She was beating him with flowers.
  
  Report this comment
- Dismayed Veteran
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 11:50am
  She is a stand up person. Good for her.
  
  Report this comment
RaydocX
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 8:15pm
Curious why media types are doing this…
This seems like the sort of social psychology study that universities would be doing to address how Americans respond to spontaneous violence…

Of course, they were wrong about Kitty Genovese.
And the reactions might support women especially’s need to protect themselves.
And the risk assumed in stepping in to help would support the right for citizens to be armed…

I guess i can see why we do NOT see such studies going on in the schools of the Left.
I wonder how much the actors got for being sprayed with fire extinguishers and the like. You know they were glad it was NYC or maybe Chicago in order to protect against a final intervention.

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LUCK THE FEFT
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 8:15pm
I dare you to try that experiment in Texas. . .concealed carry.

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GBTVFan_Non_American_Overseas
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 8:12pm
I guess they didn’t have a shotgun to fire a blast through the elevator’s door….oh wait, this is NY….never mind….

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JimmyP
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:54pm
Exactly how stupid do you hafta be to not give a damn about the possible deadly consequences of this act? And WHEN the first person dies from one of these “pranks”, will Joe Biden head up the panel to investigate? If there is any hint of racial overtones, Will Barack Hussain Obama hold a Beer Summit?

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- David-FL
  Posted on March 4, 2013 at 9:49pm
  Yep. The Agency should be fired!
  
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- bbabics
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 8:34am
  I thought the same thing and then i realized that the “experiment” was likely (hopefully) setup in a controlled environment where there was a security checkpoint checking for weapons. I hope that was the case.
  
  Report this comment
mbean
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:48pm
Try that in Texas.

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NoMoMrNiceGuy
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:48pm
I would remove my SA UC 45 and begin ending the problem !

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PIGSWILLNEVERFLY
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:47pm
I always have pepper spray on my key chain. Perp would have gotten dosed and kicked in the head until he let loose of the victim.

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nightmare must end
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:40pm
You would be justifed to shoot in defense of another

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- WarMunger_Al
  Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:47pm
  Only in New york could they get away with this idiotic stunt. It is ok to assume nobody will stop you. Had I been there, the guy would have needed an ambulance.
  
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Mavrick2012
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:36pm
Gun or no Gun…I swift good kick to his face would have stopped that real damn quick.

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- Mavrick2012
  Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:44pm
  The again Obama policies would come and arrest you for it…On grounds of “You should have known it was an act & not real”.
  
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- Scruff
  Posted on March 4, 2013 at 10:17pm
  A snap kick to the face would be a GREAT response (particularly in New York) – especially since the perp’s got both hands as good as tied and his head is about two feet off the ground. Unconcealing your concealed handgun immediately thereafter would be a good follow-up nearly everywhere else (not just in Texas).
  
  Really stupid stunt to play in public.
  
  Report this comment
banjarmon
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:24pm
Bang Bang!!

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- seek.the.truth
  Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:33pm
  Bang! Bang! This prank isn’t funny anymore.
  
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electroencephalographic
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:24pm
“What would you do?” I would put you in the hospital if you were lucky.

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leftcoastslut
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:24pm
thanks my fellow citizens for saving my life……..

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- K Chad Roberts
  Posted on March 4, 2013 at 8:05pm
  No kidding, I’m actually quite angry at most of those people. It would have taken me a few moments to realize what was going on, then I would:
  
  A) If armed, draw and order them to stand down with a single warning
  B) Use deadly force to remove the strangler with zero regard to the stranglers well-being
  
  This would not have been funny if they had chosen the wrong location to do it… With a gun, you have the fear factor, and thus the ability to save both of their lives. Without a gun, I would have been forced to intervene with as much force as I can possibly apply, with the full intent to kill, but stopping once incapacitated.
  
  The reason to apply full, deadly force if I didn’t have a gun? I don’t know what the strangler is capable of. With a gun, I can simply point and shoot, I have options. Without a gun, I must win the fight immediately, or risk losing my own life as well. As other commenters have said, a hard kick in the face would have ended it pretty quick… And I always carry a large Swiss army “tool” with a screwdriver, pliers, “package opening edge”, etc…
  
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- LakeHartwellSailor
  Posted on March 4, 2013 at 9:00pm
  K Chad….well stated.
  
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mongastanman
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:22pm
I would never go to NY, ever. If I wasn’t armed my size 13 would have cracked his head open.

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The-Monk
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:19pm
In an effort to defend myself by drowning the aggressor I always carried a 32oz soda while in NY.

Now I can’t even do that…. : (

(sarcasm off)

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- GBTVFan_Non_American_Overseas
  Posted on March 4, 2013 at 8:20pm
  Hi Monk,
  
  Lol, but you still can carry your DNC Approved Anti-Rape Whistle® and defecate yourself…..just in case…
  
  Report this comment
Lucifers Hammer
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:18pm
A prime example of a dumbed-down society taught to believe they have no right to protect themselves and that they must wait until a “qualified” person gets there to help. Welcome to your future New York…lots of dead people…killed right before your helpless eyes.

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toidiegalliv
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:18pm
The stupid libs are trying to get the whole country to a place where pranks this foolish can be perpetrated in any state with relative safety like in NY. Right now, pull that stuff in Texas and the prank strangler might get a new hole in his head, well actually perhaps two, a little one in the front and a big one in the back. Then the prank victim can explain why it was all so funny.

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mongastanman
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:15pm
I hope they chose NY because of the gun free crap. In all seriousness I would’ve put a bullet in his head along with most CCW Americans, if the fake victim wasn’t fast enough to let me know it wasn’t real. DON’T BE STUPID!!!

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BATluvs3
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:09pm
Forget that last comment, no one has guns in NY.

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- Fubared
  Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:16pm
  Exactly. Can’t film snuff porn in a right to carry state…
  
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BATluvs3
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:09pm
I would pull out my gun that I never leave home without and shoot him.

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RightUnite
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:08pm
Holy crap!

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gauge
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:06pm
I would have shot him

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- LakeHartwellSailor
  Posted on March 4, 2013 at 8:54pm
  Can’t say I would have shot him. When I was in the Navy’s Personnel Reliability Program, which is sailors who are trained to guard the ship since we didn’t have Marines on board (I was on a nuke cruiser); we were trained to issue three warnings in the form of yelling “HALT, HALT, HALT”; before we were to take a shot (this was in the early 80′s). So I guess I would have drawn my weapon and issued a warning….not necessarily in the form of HALT, HALT, HALT; but something like that. We used to joke among the PRP team and see how fast we can say that word three times…I think I could do it in about 0.75 seconds. Unfortunately, you wouldn’t really understand what I said before you heard another sound from a 1911-A1 .45 go BANG BANG BANG!
  
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progressiveslayer
Posted on March 4, 2013 at 7:05pm
It’s all fun and games until some armed citizen steps in to……oh yeah that’s right it’s NYC only the police and criminals are armed.

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- LakeHartwellSailor
  Posted on March 4, 2013 at 8:45pm
  you make a good point, Slayer. There are going to be citizens who will still carry to protect themselves, or others; despite the law in NYC. This kind of stupid staging of a crime could have resulted in a concerned citizen drawing on the supposed murderer…and that citizen would likely have gone to jail for a very long time; whether he/she shot or not, just because he/she was trying to prevent a murder.
  
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