The Two True Stories Behind Project X: Where Are Corey Worthington And The Haren Riot Teens Now In 2024?

The 2012 film *Project X* is a cultural touchstone for a generation, a found-footage chronicle of a high school party spiraling into an epic, destructive riot. But the movie's title sequence, which declares the events to be "fictional," hides a deeper truth. The cinematic chaos was not a product of pure imagination; it was a direct echo of a real-life incident that occurred in Australia years earlier. More recently, the film's legacy sparked a terrifying copycat event in Europe, proving that the line between Hollywood fiction and real-world mayhem is alarmingly thin. As of December 2025, the true story of *Project X* is actually a two-part saga, and the individuals behind both legendary parties have very different lives today.

This article dives into the two definitive real-life inspirations for the *Project X* phenomenon: the original Australian teenager who became a viral sensation, and the Dutch copycat event that was so destructive it became the subject of a 2023 Netflix documentary. We break down the key players, the infamous events, and the surprising updates on their lives years later, providing the ultimate, up-to-date look at the true story.

The Original Inspiration: Corey Worthington's Infamous Narre Warren Rager (2008)

The primary and often-cited inspiration for the *Project X* film is the party thrown by Australian teenager Corey Worthington in Narre Warren, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in January 2008. The incident cemented Worthington's status as a global symbol of teenage rebellion and viral fame long before the term was commonplace. His story is the foundation upon which the *Project X* movie was built, from the sheer number of uninvited guests to the resulting police confrontation.

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Corey Worthington: Biography and Party Profile

• Full Name: Corey Worthington
• Party Date: Saturday, January 12, 2008
• Location: Narre Warren, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
• Age at Event: 16 years old
• The Catalyst: Worthington posted an open invitation to his 16th birthday party on the social media platform MySpace.
• Estimated Attendance: Over 500 uninvited guests showed up.
• Aftermath: The party resulted in significant property damage, with estimates reaching over $20,000 AUD. Police were called and were forced to retreat due to the crowd's hostility.
• Viral Moment: His infamous television interview with *A Current Affair*'s Leila McKinnon, where he refused to remove his sunglasses and showed a brazen disregard for the chaos he caused, made him an international celebrity.
• Legal Consequences: Worthington was fined by police for failing to obey their directions.

The Narre Warren Aftermath and Corey's Life in 2024

The 2008 party at Narre Warren was a logistical nightmare for local authorities and a financial disaster for Worthington's parents, who were away on holiday at the time. The sheer scale of the event—with hundreds of teenagers spilling into the streets, damaging cars, and throwing projectiles at police—was unprecedented in the area. The police helicopter was even deployed to monitor the situation, a detail that echoes the massive scale of the party in the *Project X* film.

In the years following the event, Corey Worthington became a minor celebrity. He appeared on reality television shows, including *Big Brother Australia*, and embraced his "party boy" persona. However, recent updates in 2024 reveal a more mature life.

In a surprising admission this year, Worthington expressed regret over the infamous party and his defiant television interview, acknowledging the stress and damage he caused. He has since settled into a more private life, with recent public appearances showing him nearly unrecognizable, having shed his signature long blonde hair and sunglasses. The legacy of the Narre Warren party endures, but the man behind the chaos has clearly moved on, a far cry from the out-of-control teenager who inspired a Hollywood blockbuster.

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The Copycat Catastrophe: The Haren, Netherlands Riot (2012)

While Corey Worthington's party was the initial seed, the most direct real-life parallel to the movie's explosive riot happened after the film's release. This event, known as Project X Haren, occurred in Haren, a quiet town in the Netherlands, in September 2012. It was a terrifying case of life imitating art, fueled by the global reach of social media and the desire to recreate the cinematic anarchy of *Project X*.

The Key Players and The Facebook Mistake

The riot was sparked by a simple, accidental mistake made by a 16-year-old Dutch girl, Merthe Weusthuis.

• The Event: Merthe Weusthuis was planning her 16th birthday party.
• The Mistake: She created a private Facebook event invitation but accidentally set the privacy setting to "public."
• The Ripple Effect: The invitation went viral, with thousands of people clicking "attending" and the address of her parents' home being shared across social media, including Twitter and dedicated Project X Haren pages.
• The Instigator: An 18-year-old named Jorik Clarck from Groningen saw the opportunity and created a copycat Facebook event, framing it as a surprise party and further fueling the hype, despite later taking it down.

The Trainwreck Aftermath and The Netflix Documentary

The town of Haren, with a population of only about 18,000, was completely unprepared for the ensuing chaos. On September 21, 2012, an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 people descended upon the quiet residential street.

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The situation quickly escalated into a full-blown riot. The crowd, many of whom were inspired by the *Project X* film, began destroying property, looting a supermarket, and throwing stones and bottles at police. The authorities were overwhelmed, resulting in the deployment of riot police, water cannons, and even a helicopter. The event resulted in at least 36 arrests and millions of euros in damage and security costs.

The story gained a fresh wave of topical authority with the release of the 2023 Netflix documentary, *Trainwreck: The Real Project X*. The documentary provides an in-depth look at the event, featuring interviews with the local police, politicians, and the teenagers involved, including Jorik Clarck.

Where Are Merthe Weusthuis and Jorik Clarck Now?

The consequences for the key teenagers were life-altering. Merthe Weusthuis, the birthday girl, was forced to go into hiding and never actually attended the riot at her home. The intense media scrutiny and the trauma of the event led her to move away from Haren. The documentary revealed the profound psychological impact the accidental viral fame had on her and her family.

Jorik Clarck, who helped amplify the event, was later prosecuted and received community service. The Netflix documentary provided a platform for him to reflect on his role in the catastrophe, showing a young man grappling with the unintended consequences of his actions. Interestingly, the documentary also revealed that Merthe and Jorik ran into each other years after the incident, a moment of awkward closure for the two people whose lives were irrevocably linked by a simple Facebook mistake.

5 Key Differences Between The Two "True" Project X Stories

While both events share the common thread of a house party spiraling out of control due to social media, their motivations and aftermaths are distinctly different, highlighting the evolution of viral culture.

1. The Catalyst: Corey Worthington's party was a direct, albeit naive, open invitation on MySpace. The Haren riot was an accidental public Facebook setting that was deliberately amplified by others.
2. The Inspiration: Worthington's party was a spontaneous event that *inspired the movie*. The Haren riot was a conscious copycat event that was directly inspired *by the movie*.
3. The Damage Scale: While the Narre Warren party caused significant property damage (approx. $20k AUD), the Haren riot was a municipal disaster, resulting in millions of euros in damages, widespread looting, and a massive police response involving water cannons.
4. The Main Character's Role: Corey Worthington was present and defiant, embracing his role in the chaos. Merthe Weusthuis was absent, forced to hide from the riot at her own home.
5. The Modern Context: The Worthington party is a relic of early viral culture (MySpace, pre-iPhone). The Haren riot is a modern cautionary tale about the immediate, destructive power of Facebook and mass flash mobs in the age of global connectivity.

The enduring legacy of *Project X* is not just in the film itself, but in the real-life events it bookended. From Corey Worthington's defiant sunglasses in 2008 to Merthe Weusthuis's accidental viral nightmare in 2012, the "true story" serves as a powerful, constantly updating reminder of the unpredictable, often destructive, nature of teenage excess amplified by the internet.