News Every Day | 30 December 2024, 14:27

WTOP’s most viral videos of 2024

In an age where social media drives conversations and shapes public interest, WTOP’s video content continues to capture moments that resonate deeply with the D.C. community and beyond.

From breaking crime news to heartwarming human-interest stories, these viral clips have sparked conversations and garnered widespread attention online. To find more video content from WTOP, follow your favorite radio station on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

10. Pro-Palestinian protests in D.C.

During Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the nation’s capital in July of 2024, demonstrators filled the city’s streets to protest Israel’s war in Gaza. WTOP’s Nick Iannelli and Mike Murillo were on the scene at one of the protests outside Union Station. On YouTube, the video grew to become one of WTOP’s most impactful videos, highlighting the worldwide focus on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

9. A sport’s impact on the D.C. region

WTOP’s Matt Kaufax spoke to D.C.’s very own roller skate historian Tasha Klusmann to learn the impact of roller-skating on the D.C. area. On Instagram, this early episode of “Matt About Town” inspired Kaufax to put on some skates, as he shared the story from Klusmann.

WTOP’s 2024 in Review:

8. Animals and other furry friends

At Westminster’s dog agility competition, a Maryland border collie mix stole the show. Viewers got to witness this 6-year-old pup, named Nimble, on WTOP’s Instagram, thanks to the videography skills of Mike Murillo.

7. Baltimore’s Key Bridge site

@wtopnewsThe cleanup continues at the Francis Scott Key Bridge site continues and according to officials, the full channel used by ships coming in and out of the Port of Baltimore is expected to be cleared by mid-June. Find more updates on Baltimore’s Key Bridge site on WTOP.com or our app. Link in bio. (: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)♬ original sound – WTOP News

When will the full channel at Baltimore’s Key Bridge site open for boats? That was the question on every local’s mind. On TikTok, WTOP’s Luke Lukert reported the latest updates on this, as well as the legal battle for the container ship that struck the bridge earlier this year. The footage was from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

6. The anniversary of 9/11

@wtopnewsSandals. A baseball hat. An adorable stuffed panda. They all sat on a table in Ronald Reagan National Airport, and they all hid potentially deadly explosives. They weren’t the real thing but mock-ups of the kind of items the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has discovered over the years. Ahead of the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Monday’s demonstration by the TSA was punctuated with the routine security announcements. Read more of this story on WTOP.com. Link in bio. (: WTOP/Kate Ryan)♬ original sound – WTOP News

Decades after 9/11, D.C.’s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport showcased why security remains a top priority. As seen on TikTok, WTOP’s Kate Ryan reports that seemingly innocuous items can hide deadly explosives. The Transportation Security Administration hosted a demonstration to highlight their work in preventing items like these from making it through the airport.

5. Surprising police and security footage

A theft and assault at a CVS location in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Southeast D.C. shocked many who saw the video on Instagram. With reporting by WTOP’s Kyle Cooper, the video showed a group of several young people entering the store and taking items without paying, an act that D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb described as “unacceptable and disturbing.”

4. Restaurant coverage and business profiles

This 28-year-old Maryland man has become known as the “Mozart of cheeseburgers.” With reporting and videography by WTOP’s Nick Iannelli, this video on Instagram features Hunter Karametos who is known best for his local Steeze Burger.

3. “Matt About Town” hits it big!

Did you know D.C. has a second Washington Monument underground? It does. That revelation rocked WTOP’s social media platforms after Matt Kaufax, alongside Ranger Mike Litterst of the National Park Service, uncovered one of D.C.’s biggest secrest – hiding in plain sight. This video got wide responses on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram.

2. A musician’s final gift to her son

The late alt-pop artist Cat Janice, who passed away in Feb. 2024, released her last song, “Dance You Outta My Head,” just a few weeks before her death to benefit her 7-year-old son and send a final message to her fans and supporters. As detailed on Instagram, all proceeds from the song go to her son. See Jason Fraley’s story about her final song and the part her son played in its creation .

1. Feel-good stories

In Vienna, Virginia, several high school students stunned their school’s custodian by gifting him his dream car. In an interview with Dick Uliano, one of the students said, “He’s more than a custodian, he’s a friend.” This was one of WTOP’s most-seen videos on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube in 2024.