Viral videos on social platforms Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube brought tens of millions of eyeballs to some of our biggest stories at WTKR News 3 this year.
Here are our top 10 viral social media videos from in 2023.
10. Where did the 6-year-old get the gun he used to shoot NN teacher?
The shooting of a teacher at Richneck Elementary School by a first-grade student on Jan. 6 was one of the most impactful stories that occurred in our community this year. As authorities shared more about the incident, audiences were rapt in learning more about how this 6-year-old got access to the gun, brought it to school, and severely wound Abby Zwerner.
9. Car just misses Virginia police officer
Sometimes the video says it all. A dashboard cam showing a very close call where a Virginia police officer was narrowly missed by a car that went off the road.
8. Deep Creek football team surprises teammate on his birthday after he lost his mom
Those who say only negative or wild news goes viral did not see this sweet video of a teen getting surprised by his football teammates on his birthday. The Deep Creek student had lost his mother previously and the teammates surprised him with cash.
7. Wegmans cashier gives AirTag to young girl at checkout
Everybody shops at the grocery store, so people were very interested in this story about a cashier at the Virginia Beach Wegmans who seemed to be trying to track a young girl. He had given her some stickers at checkout that had an Apple AirTag hidden in them.
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Year in Review: Our top 10 most-watched videos of 2023
6. Passenger goes overboard on Carnival cruise ship
@coastalcurr3nts A man went overboard on a Carnival cruise ship, reports say. A Carnival spokesperson says footage shows the man leaning over balcony railing before dropping into the water. The Coast Guard is still looking for him. More on WTKR.com
♬ original sound - WTKR News 3
News 3 broke the news of a man on a Carnival cruise that went overboard before the ship returned to Norfolk. We continued to follow up for days after he was reported missing, but rescue crews were never able to find him.
5. Two teens accused of shooting at Virginia officer
Two teens faced charges after Virginia Beach police said they shot at an officer conducting surveillance in August in the city's Level Green area.
4. Downtown Tunnel in Norfolk floods
It's Norfolk. It floods a lot, OK? A News 3 viewer sent in this footage over the summer of the tunnel filling with water as they drove through.
We did not expand our coverage of this story, but we did produce a story about flooding mitigation efforts in place for the Midtown Tunnel after Hurricane Isabel 20 years ago.
3. Tractor-trailer goes over Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
Another story with broad impact was the incident of a tractor-trailer careening off the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in June, killing the driver. Raw footage sent to us from a viewer showed the moments after the incident.
2. Candy the K-9 gets final walkthrough at Virginia Beach Sheriff's Department
@coastalcurr3nts Grab the tissues 🤧 Candy, a K-9 working with the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office, gets final salute from deputies #dog #workingdogs #virginia #virginianews #news #sadstory #foryoupage #fyp #virginiabeach #k9 ♬ original sound - WTKR News 3
The story of Candy the K-9, who passed away from cancer this fall after nine years of serving the Virginia Beach Sheriff's Department, touched many who saw her final walkout on TikTok.
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Year in Review: Our top 10 most-read stories of 2023
1. 98th annual Chincoteague Island Pony Swim
Through News 3 was granted exclusive access to the 98th annual Chincoteague Island Pony Swim this year through our news-gathering partnership with WESR Eastern Shore Radio. And we had no idea at the time how much interest this story would generate: over 7 million views on Facebook, over 2 million on Instagram, and over a million on TikTok. This also prompted us to produce a short documentary on the event.
