- 28-year-old Instagram star and amateur stuntman Johnny ‘Danger’ Bennett reportedly died in a motorcycle crash on Wednesday.
- Emergency services were called to the crash site in Auckland, New Zealand at 2.30 p.m.
- Friends confirmed that the social media star, who had over 240,000 followers on Instagram and more than 300,000 on Facebook, had been killed.
- He was known for his risky stunts and jokes.
A 28-year-old Instagram star, comedian, and amateur stuntman has reportedly died in a motorcycle crash in New Zealand.
Johnny “Danger” Bennett was killed in a crash on an Auckland highway on Wednesday, according to close friend Julian Rivers-Smith who spoke to Stuff.nz.
Emergency services were reportedly called to the site of the single-vehicle crash at 2.30 p.m.
Police said on Wednesday night that they were still trying to confirm the identity of the man who had died – and the cause of the crash.
However, a fellow motorcyclist who was riding with Bennett at the time of the crash confirmed that the man's name was indeed Johnny, though he didn't know him personally.
He said that up to 50 riders had come together for Anzac Day, but got separated in traffic.
"I got to a point where everyone was signalling to stop because a guy had come off, so I went over to help," he said, choosing to remain anonymous to Stuff.nz.
The bike had reportedly gone down a ditch.
"When I got to him he was unconscious and bleeding. I only knew his name was Johnny, because everyone was calling him that, I didn't know he was anyone famous until later."
He confirmed that an ambulance arrived followed by police.
The location of the crash was a section of highway - with a 100km/hr speed limit - that climbs steeply with a passing lane that leads to a sharp turn, according to Stuff.nz.
While the conditions of the crash are unknown, Bennett, a New Zealander who had 240,000 followers on Instagram, reportedly lost his driver's license in 2015 and was fined $1,000 after filming himself crossing a bridge while car-surfing on the roof of a taxi travelling at 80 km/hr.
He was reportedly known for his boundary-pushing humour and stunts.
Tributes have poured in to his Facebook page, which currently has over 300,000 followers.
A tribute post saying Bennett was "taken too soon" also appeared on the Instagram account for Yambo Bikes, a line of prototype bikes Bennett was reportedly working on with freestyle motorcross rider Luke Smith.
Smith himself posted a message on his personal account saying he was "so lost for words and don't know where to start."
Bennett had launched his own brand of beer, Dangers Lager, and also starred in an MTV series called "MTV Presents: Johnny Danger."
A statement from MTV said: "We've truly lost one of the greats. We hope you're cracking into the Danger's Lager up there. Whenever we swig, we'll be doing it for you."
