A fame-hungry couple surprised Texas drivers who realized their traffic problems on a busy Texas interstate were due to an impromptu photo shoot.
Traffic began to increase on Highway 59 South near the Fannin Street exit in Houston last Friday night.
While the delays were not initially obvious, motorists could see that they were being stopped for an embarrassing photo op in the middle of the road.
A photo now circulating on Reddit shows a woman in a jumpsuit who appears to be flipping her hair and striking a pose while a man captures the moment on his phone during the evening rush hour.
Traffic slowed on an interstate in Houston, Texas, on Friday after a couple decided to have a photo shoot in the middle of the road during the afternoon rush hour.
A video and photo of the couple are circulating on Reddit after a user noticed traffic building up behind them and people yelling and honking angrily at the couple.
“Apparently a couple had walked into traffic to film videos or do a photo shoot,” said the Reddit user who posted the photo.
‘Traffic was building up behind us and people were shouting and honking angrily at them. They laughed and waved as they ran back to their car to leave.
Their misguided idea of a perfect moment was not only dangerous, but also infuriating drivers who were stuck in traffic due to the couple’s social media stunt.
Angry drivers wasted no time commenting on their thoughts on the couple’s actions.
One viewer simply wrote: “What idiots.”
“Ugh, he would have indicated the license plate as a drunk driver,” said another.
The Reddit user also noticed the drivers yelling and honking angrily at the couple before laughing and waving as they walked back to their car.
But now, social media sleuths on Reddit promise to find the identity of the two.
“If they post any of this on social media (which they probably will), we’ll probably know who these idiots are next week,” another Reddit user wrote.
“Fools obsessed with their image on social media can’t help but be (in)famously linked to something so stupid and ridiculous.”
Although the Houston Police Department received no reports of obstruction, they became aware of the incident after the photo went viral on social media.
“Not only are you in a location with moving traffic, in that specific area, you’re on an elevated highway,” police department spokesperson Jodi Silva told Houston Public Media.
“You’re definitely in danger, you don’t even know if people will see you and stop.”
The slowdown of traffic for selfish reasons is not an isolated event. Many who saw the images remembered another “infamous couple from several years ago.”
In 2015, a man made national headlines after stopping traffic and proposing to his girlfriend in the middle of Interstate 45 near downtown Houston.
Vidal Valladares, then 24, had some accomplices in his proposal plan: eight cars full of family and friends who helped block traffic so he could get down on one knee and pop the question. cnn reported.
Valladares wanted the moment to be absolutely perfect. Apparently I-45 was his girlfriend’s favorite view of the city.
But drivers on one of the country’s busiest highways were not impressed. In the video posted online, horns can be heard blaring at the couple in the background.
Valladares was charged with obstruction of a highway, a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail. But he was given a deal: If he completed 32 hours of community service, was not charged with a crime for a year, and publicly apologized, the charge would eventually be dismissed.
“I feel bad and of course I just wanted to apologize to everyone if I caused any problems,” he said. KTRK in 2015. ‘That wasn’t my intention at the beginning. I just wanted to do something different.’
In 2015, another couple made national headlines after stopping traffic and proposing to their girlfriend in the middle of Interstate 45 near downtown Houston.
Vidal Valladares, then 24, had some accomplices in his proposed scheme — eight cars full of family and friends who helped block traffic — but he was ultimately charged with obstruction of a highway, which is a misdemeanor.
Silva added some advice regarding the most recent incident: drivers should immediately call the police to report if there are people standing on the road or blocking the path of vehicles for any reason.
“Some people have focused too much on getting what they consider the perfect shot and lost focus on what’s really important: safety,” Texas Department of Transportation spokesman Danny Perez told Houston Public Media.
“It is not only their safety that is being compromised, but also the safety of motorists traversing the affected corridor.”
But Perez also said that, second, it’s a bad idea to stop traffic to encourage, photograph or videotape the people who are stopping traffic, and that only adds to the initial problem.
So far, the couple has not been identified by social media sleuths.