Top Ten Most Horrific Things Broadcast on Live TV

These are some of the most shockingly horrific moments to be broadcasted on live TV. A lot of these events have mentally scarred the people who were watching.
The Top Ten
1 9/11 Terror Attacks

On September 11, 2001, Muslim extremists used four commercial airliners to commit an attack on America. A total of 19 members from the terrorists group al-Qaeda hijacked and crashed two of the four planes into the World Trade Center (one to each tower), one into the Pentagon, and one ended up crashing in a field in Pennsylvania due to the passengers fighting back. The World Trade Center towers ended up collapsing due to the fires melting the steel support framing of the buildings. WTC 7 also collapsed. The Pentagon was struck on the west facing side of it's building causing a partial collapse. A total of 2,996 people were killed and over 6,000 injured. It was the worst terror attack to ever occur on American soil. The whole event was tragic but seeing the people jump from the buildings to avoid burning to death was one of the worst things I've ever seen.

I remember seeing it all over the news in UK at the time it was happening. Really awful thing to witness. I can't imagine how terrified everyone involved at the time must have felt. The thing is, the image of the attack on the Twin Towers is still sometimes shown, refreshing the memories for the poor victims' families. Awful. Really really awful.

2 Daniel V. Jones Sets His Dog on Fire and Commits Suicide by Blowing His Head Off with a Shotgun

Not to many people are familiar with this one, but me and some of my buddies watch this live as it happened. On April 30, 1998, a man, along with his dog, stopped his pickup truck in the middle of the top level of a freeway transition ramp. Police closed the freeway ramp and attempted to communicate with the man as he sat in his truck. By this time, multiple local news helicopters were on scene broadcasting live. After awhile of nothing eventful, the man emerged from his truck. He went to the bed of his pickup truck and grabbed a homemade banner/sheet and laid it out on the freeway ramp for the helicopters to see. It read, "HMO's Are In It For The Money. Live Free, Love Safe or Die!" (turns out the dude had AIDS and cancer). After he lays out the banner, he looks at the helicopters and sticks his butt out at them and slaps it (I get the impression he was saying "kiss my ass"). Also while he was getting the banner from the bed of his truck, news crews in the helicopters noticed he had a shotgun laying in the bed. He then gets back in his truck and lights a cigarette. This is when all hell breaks loose. Turns out he had Molotov cocktail bombs inside the cab of his truck. As he's smoking his cigarette, the fumes from the gas ignite. The man quickly jumps out of the cab on fire and extinguished himself by slapping out the flames and stripping off his clothes. He ended up being naked from the waist down. However the dog was still inside the truck as it was on fire. You can see the dog on fire running in a tight circle inside the cab through the windshield. The man then falls to his knees and starts crying. I'm almost positive he did not mean to set the truck or his dog on fire. He seemed devastated that his dog was burning alive. He then gets up and runs to the edge of the freeway bridge/ramp and appears to get ready to jump to his death. Apparently, he changed his mind and runs to the bed of his truck and grabs the shotgun which burns his hands (the... more

3 3/11 Japanese Tsunami
4 Christine Chubbuck Suicide

I heard of this event, and there was even a clip of it on YouTube in a video about live T.V. events. She pulled out a gun, (now of course it didn't show the shooting) but I was just frightened to just see it happen that I actually collapsed out of my seat. I was shivering, and I suddenly became very afraid as if something like that were going to happen to me, so I closed my computer and ran to my family in the living room. I later discovered she asked the people running the show to do the live show for no particular reason, and the whole event just ended in disaster and confusion.

On July 15, 1974, newscaster Christine Chubbuck committed suicide during her news segment on live T.V.. She is the first person to have committed suicide during a live television broadcast. She was covering a news story about a shooting at a local restaurant when the previously recorded clip for the story jammed. Chubbuck shrugged it off and said to the viewers, "In keeping up with channel 40"s policy in bringing you the latest in blood and guts in living color, you are gonna see another first...an attempted suicide." She then reaches under the desk and pulls out a revolver (from her purse?) and points it behind her right ear and pulls the trigger. She fell violently forward with her head slamming face first into the desk. The station then quickly went dark then they started running public service announcements. Christine died 14 hours later at the hospital. After the shooting the news director found the script Christine wrote out to read for the newscast. The script included her suicide and a call for her colleagues to list her condition as critical.

5 1972 Olympic Massacre

Also known as the Munich Massacre. At the 1972 Olympics' in Munich, Germany Palestinian terrorists known as Black September (also aided by German Neo Nazis) took Israeli Olympians hostage. The terrorists group snuck into an apartment complex that was housing Olympic athletes with the help of some Canadians (some say American). Either way, the people who help the terrorists sneak in didn't know about their plot. The terrorists ended up getting into the Israeli's rooms while they were asleep. The Israelis fought back (*pretty badass*). One even knocked out one of the terrorists before he was shot to death. During the times the Israeli were fighting back some managed to escape. The terrorists ended up with nine hostages. The terrorists had a few demands. The main one being the release of 234 Palestinians jailed in Israel. By this time international news channels surrounded the apartments and was filming live. During the live broadcast, the terrorists can be seen going to the balconies with their hostages. At one point during the live broadcast, a hostages was cracked on the head by the butt of the terrorist's AK-47. After a failed ambush by the German police and failings negotiations, the authorities approved of helicopters for the terrorists, who still had hostages. They made their way to the airport and a shoot out began as they were trying to board. While in the helicopter, sensing the mission was going to fail, one of the terrorists turned around and shot the Israeli hostages point blank with an assault rifle. He also tossed a grenade into the helicopter as he got out. Another shoot out occurred and the terrorists were killed or captured. In total, 17 were killed. 11 Israelis, 1 German police officer, and 5 Black September members. 3 terrorists were wounded and captured.

6 1992 Los Angeles Riots

On April 29, 1992, the city of Los Angles and its surrounding area erupted in a 6 day riot. A lot of the chaos was captured by news helicopters and broadcasted live over those six days. A total of 63 deaths, 2,383 injured and around 13,000 arrested were a result of the riot. For a more detailed description and information on the L.A. Riots, see my list titled "Ten Worst Tragedies or Catastrophes to Occur in California" if interested.

7 Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster

And to think BIG BIRD was going to be on that space shuttle. No, really. Both Caroll Spinney and NASA said that.

8 R. Budd Dwyer Suicide

The Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives committed suicide at a press conference he called for on January 22, 1987. Many believed he called the press conference to announce his resignation due to his conviction in 1986 for accepting bribes. He was scheduled to be sentenced the next day, January 23, 1987. He was facing 55 years in prison and fines over $300,000. At the press conference gave a statement in which he claimed his innocence (later investigation revealed he WAS guilty) and ended his statement with, "Please leave immediately if you have a weak stomach or mind since I don't want to cause physical or mental distress. I love you. Thank you for making my life so happy. Goodbye to you all on the count of three. Please make sure the sacrifice of my life is not in vein." He then pulls a 357 revolver out of a manila envelope. He pointed the pistol in the air and asked, "Please, please leave the room if this will, if this will affect you." As some approached ...more

9 Boston Marathon Terrorist Attack
10 Manila Hostage Crisis

On August 23, 2010, a former Philippine National Police officer named Rolando Mendoza hijacked a bus carrying 25 people, 20 of them were tourists from Hong Kong. The disgruntled former officer claims he was wrongly and unjustly fired from his job and used the hostages as a bargaining tool to demand a fair hearing to defend himself. Negotiations (which were televised) fell apart after police told Mendoza they arrested his brother. News of his brothers arrest infuriated Mendoza prompting him to immediately open fire on the police. What followed was a 90 minute televised shoot out which ended with Mendoza and eight of the hostages being killed. Many more were injured.

The fact it happened in my own country weighs on me like a chain and ball that I need to pull. My family was in the country makes me horrified, and I feel more like I should've been there with them. (Which is silly, since they weren't really affected.)

The Contenders
11 Lee Harvey Oswald Assassination

On November 24, 1963 suspected Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was shot in the basement of the Dallas police headquarters by Jack Ruby while being escorted to an armored vehicle to be transported to the city jail.

12 Grenfell Tower Fire

This was terrifying. ITV made it even worse - they showed recordings of people burning in the fire...

Yeah, the ITV broadcast went way too far.

ITV, stop going into too much details!

13 2021 Storming of the United States Capitol
14 The Max Headroom Incident

And we still didn't find the person who did this?

The creepiest T.V. hack in history.

15 Will Smith Slaps Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards
16 Execution of Nicolae Ceausescu
17 High Speed Pursuit Suspect Commits Suicide

Here in Southern California, we have a televised high speed, sometimes slow speed, car chases about twice a week. I hate seeing these idiots crash into innocent people. There's so many instances of this out here. I'll use the latest one. On June 13, 2018, police were in pursuit of a stolen U-Haul pickup truck. About an hour in, the driver pulls off the freeway, gets out of the truck and shoots himself in the head on live T.V.. I'll be real here, I'd rather it end like that then him crashing into and killing or injuring an innocent person.

Why! why do idiots crash their cars and kill innocent people what if there was a baby? Is this 1780 were a lot of baby's die? These idiots use night speed. If you see this comment and you speed, DIE!

18 Murder of Allison Parker and Adam Ward
19 Assassination of Inejiro Asanuma
20 2019 Amazon Rainforest Wildfires
21 The Vrillon Broadcast Hijack
22 Australia's Naughtiest Home Videos
23 CNN Airs an Applebee's Ad During Russo-Ukrainian War Coverage
24 2007 Comcast Porn Intrusion
25 GG Allin's Last Interview on The Jane Whitney Show
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