A viral video of a Boston cop falling down a metal slide has surfaced online. Seemingly taken at the City Hall Plaza, the police officer shot feet first out of the contraption, hitting his head while his coworkers laughed.

Although the hilarious fail video is all over social media, populating Twitter, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, many don't know where the original video came from. Many want to know who the clumsy police officer is despite the city not wanting to release such information.

For those who're curious about the video's original poster as well as who originally started making memes about it, let's explain.

Who Posted The Original 'Boston Cop Falling Down Slide' Video?

The earliest known posting of the video was uploaded by Twitter user @ryanwhitney6, however, his tweet has since been deleted. According to a follow-up tweet from him, he was allegedly "begged to take it down" by an unknown person. The poster's real name is Ryan Whitney, a host of a Boston-based podcast with over 400,000 followers on the app now known as X.

With all of this in mind, Whitney is likely not the original poster of the video, however, he predominantly made it go viral this week. Assuming that the original poster is unhappy with its virality, they too likely deleted the video or, alternatively, were "begged" to take it down.

Who's The Boston Cop That Fell Down The Slide?

Since the video went viral, notable news outlets like the Boston Globe reached out to the Boston Police Department for comment. This included inquiring about the officer's identity.

Unfortunately, the Boston Police spokesperson didn't release the fumbling officer's name. Instead, they only stated that the officer "was hurt and used his own personal medical insurance to be treated." Overall, he was said to be "fine" and no investigation into the incident was going to be conducted.

Boston, MA – A Boston Police officer sustained a head injury after a mishap at a playground on Congress St downtown. Boston EMS treated the officer. pic.twitter.com/tVjsK2N252

— Live Boston (@LiveBoston617) August 1, 2023

Is The Boston City Hall Plaza Slide Dangerous?

Boston's City Hall Plaza is relatively new, only having been completed last November. As we all know now, a centerpiece of the plaza is a long metal slide. Although it's designed for children, daredevil adults have tried to conquer it too.

Various TikTok videos have been posted since its inauguration that label the "slide" as sketchy. These videos have mostly been posted by adults who earnestly (or possibly ironically) tag local news outlets and the city to remove it or report it.

At the same time, other videos of children easily conquering the slide have also surfaced, hinting at the fact that it is designed for kids.

@purple_flurp New park opened by the Boston City Hall and it’s its giving booboo @Boston 25 News #boston ♬ Cool Kids (our sped up version) – Echosmith

@alainapinto This brand new park is sooo good. Walked here with my friend, fiance and his daughter and she loved it but we want to go down that slide too 😹 #bostonkids #bostonfun ♬ original sound – alainapinto

It will be interesting to see what comes of this slide in the future besides memes. As for now, all the internet is doing is making fun of the cop who fell.

pic.twitter.com/EdLajndoLl

— Chris AKA "Michael Synergy" (@Papapishu) August 1, 2023

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For the full history of the Boston cop falling down slide video, be sure to check out Know Your meme's encyclopedia entry for even more information.