He has been called an “idiot” and a “reckless adrenaline junkie” whose incredible stunts have him knocking on death’s door. Now the man who claims to be one of the people seen ‘surfing’ on the roof of a moving Toronto subway train is speaking out about his stunts and the looming threat of police arrest.
After communicating with CTV News via direct messages for weeks, the young man behind a shocking Canada Day video that made headlines across the country has agreed to an exclusive interview.
During our online conversations, he made his feelings about the press clear, telling me, “I don’t talk to the media.” That is, until now. After multiple messages, he recently agreed to meet near a busy intersection in downtown Toronto.
His real name remains a mystery, though he requested that I call him Chase, a name that doubles as his social media moniker (his Instagram handle is @thechase.TO). He arrived for our meeting wearing a suit and tie while donning a full black face mask with a white skull painted on the front and two holes cut out for his eyes. Puzzled passers-by stopped and stared as we walked down Yonge Street to our interview location.
When asked why he felt the need to wear a mask, Chase was quick to point out that anonymity is essential to him. “None of this would have happened if I hadn’t been anonymous.”
The masked man said he was about 20 years old and Canadian. This is the only personal information he is willing to reveal. However, he has reason to be cautious. Over the Canada Day weekend, Chase posted a shocking video of himself and at least one other person “train surfing” on a rapid transit train in Toronto’s north end, prompting an official investigation into those behind the stunt.
The Toronto Transit Commission tells CTV News it has turned its investigation over to the Toronto Police Service, which confirms a detective has been assigned to the case, which is still in its early stages. Chase agreed to talk to CTV News while knowing authorities were looking for him. He said his message to the TTC was: “it’s nothing personal.”
Chase claims to have climbed and walked over cranes, trains and roof ledges without a seat belt in various locations in Canada as well as a dozen other countries.
A video posted on his YouTube page in January 2022 showed an individual climbing what was described as a Soviet Cold War radar located in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. In the video, you can hear someone in an accent warning that “it’s dangerous” to climb. Chase admits it’s a place you “really shouldn’t go.”
He said he is part of what is known globally as the “URBEX” community, an acronym used as a general title for urban explorers. Some of them, like Chase, capture jaw-dropping footage of themselves free climbing sky-high structures around the world, then edit their videos and post them on social media for all to see.
“THESE ARE MY RISKS”
Chase said he started doing this about seven years ago when, as a teenager, a close friend of his took him to the roof of a school. Since then, he has been climbing higher and higher, even as the ever-present danger grows. He said he had rock climbing experience. CTV News asked him if he was worried that an impersonator might see his videos and then try something similar.
“I’ve seen a few copycats and it makes me worried,” he said. “I am in no way encouraging anyone to replicate or attempt the activities I undertake. These are my risks, I know the stakes, but I’m making my own independent decision here and I strongly discourage anyone from copying it.”
When asked if he was afraid of death, Chase paused before answering, “sometimes, but not often.”
“Of course there is an element of risk in what we do, but we take it anyway because the experiences on the other side are like opening a door to a new world,” he said.
However, this new world took the lives of other building climbers and subway tunnel explorers. Chase said he was somewhat lucky, noting only one experience that really scared him while climbing a crane in Paris, France.
“I was on this crane in Paris and I’m climbing up and I realize everything is wet and I’m halfway up and going down is a lot harder than going up. At that moment I felt fear.
Digital Storytelling Professor Richard Lachman of Toronto Metropolitan University believes the camera-glued daredevils involved in these stunts aren’t just chasing the “likes” on their social media pages, but the payday that comes with growing views on pages. “For a few accounts it can be very lucrative, but I would point out that there are some very famous accounts that do this professionally and they still passed away,” noted Lachman.
Chase bristled at the idea. Although he admitted that some of his colleagues were chasing dollar signs, he claimed that all his YouTube videos were demonetized. “It’s intentional, I’m not making a dime out of it.”
Instead, the young man said he is trying to reverse the negative narrative surrounding his stunts by launching a fundraiser through his social media accounts for the Canadian Mental Health Association.
Chase hopes to raise $10,000 and said he’s trying to use his notoriety in part to help people realize that “we’re not just a bunch of thrill-seekers, we’re not a bunch of hot-headed, idiotic teenagers, we are always said to be.”
CMHA confirmed that it has approved Chase’s fundraising campaign. While Chase doesn’t encourage people to take the risks he does, a CMHA spokesperson told CTV News, “we understand that some people might be tempted. We ask you not to do so.”
CTV News asked Chase if he was worried about being arrested by the police. He declined to answer our question, though he noted that he feels the heat from authorities every time he posts a new video — but that won’t stop him.
As our interview came to a close, the masked roofer said, “The only constant thing in my life is climbing buildings, and I’d like to keep doing it until I die.”
He then walked into the concrete jungle of Toronto, still wearing his skull mask, his anonymity intact.
Watch the full interview with Chase on CTV National News Tuesday nights at 10:00 and 11:00 PM EDT.
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