(The following editorial appeared on the Democrat and Chronicle website on March 27.)
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Pranks — as funny and harmless as they may seem initially — have consequences.
The five young people accused of placing a 3-foot-wide boulder on railroad tracks near Chili on Monday are finding that truth out the hard way.
Some people in the community have downplayed the incident, but in fact it is a very serious offense. It’s one that other young people should heed.
While the CSX train did not derail, the boulder caused thousands of dollars in damages. And someone could have been seriously hurt.
Maybe most striking is how the incident may cause irrevocable damage to the lives of the teens. Each has been charged with felony counts of second-degree criminal mischief and interfering with a railroad.
If convicted, a felony can have a devastating effect on employment and housing opportunities.
And for what? A little childish fun. The incident recalls recent stories of rocks and other objects being dropped off bridges onto moving cars. A sort of morbid curiosity about the outcome. But there should be no mystery about the outcome. People have died and been seriously injured after items were dropped on their cars. In the case of the Chili incident, it should have been clear that an undesirable outcome would occur, whether in human or property damage.
This is definitely the season for prankster behavior, as the weather warms and April Fools’ Day approaches.
But pranks of this magnitude — that involve destruction of property and the potential for bodily harm — should be avoided at all costs. Youthful indiscretion is a given, but even the young aren’t immune from exercising common sense.
This incident should serve as a lesson for others looking for a “good time” or a way to counter boredom.