Rooftop Daredevils Shock Vacationing Texans

Welcome to Weirdest Thing of the Week, where…well, we point out weird things.

While on vacation in Boston this week, the Brown family probably expected their history-filled walking tours and newfound Cheers appreciation to come with a side of Bostonian antics. But the family from Texas got a little more than they bargained for on Sunday when they caught a glimpse of four people leaning over the edge of a building. The quartet casually walked around the perimeter of the roof of the Avalon Exeter apartments in Back Bay, snapping pictures along the way.

According to WBZ, Shawn Brown Jr. took out his phone and started recording the daredevil photographers atop the 29-story building.

“I was like, ‘Oh man, am I going to watch this kid? He could fall off and I could witness the whole thing,’” Shawn Brown Jr. told WBZ.

In a short Snapchat video, members of the Brown family can be heard gasping.

“Do not fall,” says a voice in the background. “Oh my god!”

The thrill-seekers, presumably Instagramers, were on top of the building for a total of fifteen minutes before they were escorted off by police. Police told WBZ the roof dwellers did not live in the building, and had piggybacked behind a resident to get inside. No one was arrested.

“One guy was even hopping around,” said Shawn Brown Sr. “If he would have tripped and fell, there’s nobody to catch him.”

Bird’s eye view photos—often taken from rooftops—are popular on Instagram. Some photographers seek to snap a few pictures from high places, even when it’s not safe to do so. In December, a UMass Amherst student taking photos was killed after falling from scaffolding atop the Four Seasons Hotel in New York City.

While the sight alarmed the Brown family, they say they’re glad they caught the moment on video. Brown Sr. explained he told his son he wouldn’t want him to try anything like that. Fortunately, Brown Jr. confirmed he wouldn’t be so reckless. His video, posted by WCVB, is below.

Have you noticed funky happenings lately? Tell me about them: mbilis@bostonmagazine.com, @madelinebilis.