A Temecula teen suffered major injuries Sunday, May 28, while participating in a trend of going in and out of moving cars, also known as “ghost riding.”

“He’s lucky to be alive right now,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Mike Lassig. “We’re thankful he is alive, and we’re hoping something like this will educate some parents about their teens’ safety.”

The 16-year-old was driving a 2007 Toyota Tundra in a rural housing development outside of Temecula about 8:25 p.m. when he attempted the stunt, according to a CHP news release.

He was driving west on Mandarin Lane at Nora Circle at about 5 mph when he placed the truck in neutral, got out and started running alongside it, the news release said.

The teen tripped, fell under the truck and was run over, the news release said. A 16-year-old passenger was able to stop the truck before it crashed into anything. Lassig said if it wasn’t for the passenger, the car could have easily struck a house.

Police and paramedics responded to the scene, and the teen was hospitalized with a collapsed lung, fractured shoulder, ruptured ear drums, and other abrasions, the news release said.

Searching “ghost riding” on Youtube will produce millions of videos of similar stunts, often times going wrong. The practice was popularized in 2006, when rapper E-40 released the chart-topping song “Tell me when to go,” which repeats the phrase “ghost ride the whip.” Whip, in the song, is slang for a car.

Lassig said he hadn’t heard of any ghost riding incidents in the Temecula area prior to this one, but was aware of the trend. The incident is still under investigation, and no charges had been filed as of Tuesday.

“It’s illegal and by no means should adults and teens be doing anything like this, it’s very unsafe,” Lassig said.