Video of woman throwing chair off Toronto balcony goes viral

Feb 15, 2019 | News

Michelle Halim

A Toronto video went viral this week, gaining infamy for the woman who stars in it.

A video surfaced Monday of a woman throwing a chair off a high-rise balcony over the Gardiner Expressway around the time of the morning rush hour.

Torontonians took to social media to find out who it was and why she did it.

 

Although the video was filmed in Toronto, it made its way to media outlets over the border, like the BBC and Fox News.

Marsha Barber, a Ryerson journalism professor, said there are three major reasons this video went viral.

“First, it was a mystery. No one knew the identity of the woman. Second, there was opportunity. There were good visuals of a young mystery woman doing something reckless that could have harmed people,” she wrote in an email. “Finally, throwing chairs onto a highway could have killed someone. People were outraged.”

Marcella Zoia, a 19-year-old dental hygiene student, was identified as the woman in the video.

Embed from Getty Images

She appeared in court Wednesday to face charges of mischief endangering life, common nuisance and damage to property over $5,000.

Zoia was released on $2,000 bail.

She did not speak to the media that had gathered to wait for her. However, an Instagram account supposedly linked to Zoia shared an apology.

“I truly regret it and I will take responsibility,” the post said.

“Nobody was hurt I was intoxicated stop harassing me I thought Canadians were nice but that’s not true and it’s so f****** cold I’m out of here #canadiansgottachill”.