Aussie teen’s Google Maps Street View prank stuns internet

The teen’s prank has been called ‘legendary’ by online commenters. Photo / TikTok @heathy_piip

It’s something many of us do – looking up our own homes or our friends’ homes on Google Maps’ Street View tool.

Maybe there will be a glimpse of someone walking down the street or putting the bins out.

But what if there was a view that was a little more … sinister?

In a now-viral TikTok, one Aussie teenager won “legendary” status by revealing the prank he played when he noticed the Google Maps car driving down the street.

With just seconds to come up with his plan, Heath Slater, from the coastal town of Iluka, northern NSW, raced out to the driveway and dropped to the ground, face down, pretending to be dead.

The Google Maps car, filming for the app’s Street View feature, then drove past, capturing Heath in his “dead” pose.

The teen didn’t have much time to come up with the prank. Photo / TikTok @heathy_piip

The Street View function displays interactive panoramas by stitching together images. Most of the photography for this is done by car.

The prank took place in November last year, but it was only in the past two days that Heath shared with his followers that he had successfully been pictured on Google Maps.

Titled “Pretending to be dead in front of the Google Maps car REVEAL”, the video has clocked up more than 13.3 million views, with many commenters praising the prank.

“This is one for the history books. Legendary,” one impressed viewer wrote.

Another user, equally enthused by the video, said: “Letssssss gooooooooo people gonna be talking about this in five-plus years.”

Another viewer said they “would be so scared if I saw that” on the app.