clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Lifting a 2-ton taxi in Manhattan is easy, if you know how

The Super Strong Meter Maid — a.k.a. actress Jenni Ruiza — is strong enough to lift a two-plus-ton taxi, so long as a few parts are removed:

YouTube

The video racked up more than 750,000 views in four days on YouTube. Ruiza's uplifting feat is as enjoyable to watch as the hilarious shocked reactions from Manhattan pedestrians. My personal favorite moment is the man explaining it to a person on the phone — he can hardly get the words out without screaming in joyous laughter.

Ruiza's extensive experience creating parodies and pranks for the Internet is worth review, so I asked Jenni how she worked with Thinkmodo's Michael Krivicka and Did That Just Happen to pull off the Meter Maid prank, which is so mad-science-meets-Manhattan:

Margarita Noriega:How did you prepare for the role?

Jenni Ruiza:This is going to sound crazy, but I go to the gym pretty regularly, and once it started getting closer to the shoot date I just stopped working out, knowing I'd be getting a crazy workout on my arms!

Margarita Noriega: It was a fake car, right? I mean, how heavy was it?

Jenni Ruiza:Well, yes and no. It was a shell of a car where the motor was removed. It was designed specifically for the shoot. There were, I think, 5 tons of weight added to the back of the taxi that made lifting it feel like picking up my 30-pound dog.

Margarita Noriega: What were the responses like?

Jenni Ruiza:People were really amazed that I picked the car up, so I got a lot of high-fives, some fun choice words and expletives (which I welcomed).


WATCH: The myth of the super chromosome