The True Story of ‘Trainwreck: The Real Project X’

In 2012, one teenager’s party became wildly popular — with dangerous consequences.

That year, Dutch teenager Merthe Weusthuis was turning 16. She invited 78 people over to her house via Facebook before realizing that the invitation was public, per TIME. Quickly, the post reached over 30,000 people, according to the BBC.

The incident — which is the subject of Netflix’s Trainwreck: The Real Project X, which premiered on July 8 — resulted in 3,000 people flocking to the small town of Haren, Netherlands, on Sept. 21, 2012. Ultimately, at least 36 people were injured, according to CNN.

In Trainwreck: The Real Project X, partygoers explain that they wanted the night to mimic Project X, a 2012 movie about a high school party that spirals out of control.

So, what was the real Project X? Here’s everything to know about the 2012 incident documented in Trainwreck: The Real Project X.

What is Project X?

In the fictional 2012 movie Project X, a shy teenager named Thomas — who is about to turn 18 — gets permission from his parents to invite a small group of friends over to celebrate his birthday while they are out of town. When more people show up than expected, the crowd becomes uncontrollable, breaking Thomas’ rule about staying in the backyard and not entering the house.

The party devolves into a free-for-all, with attendees driving the family’s Mercedes into the swimming pool and playing with flamethrowers. When Thomas’ house is set on fire, the SWAT team is called in, who shut the party down.

In the end, Thomas becomes popular at school, but is convicted on several criminal charges, including contributing to the delinquency of minors and inciting a riot. The movie ends with one of Thomas’ friends bragging to a news anchor that another, even wilder party is in the works.

What is the real Project X?

In 2012, Weusthuis invited friends over to celebrate her 16th birthday via Facebook. Before she took down her public invite, more than 17,000 people RSVP-ed as attending, per TIME. Once she deleted it, an 18-year-old named Jorik Clarck copied the invitation, framing it as a surprise party for Weusthuis and including a number of Project X references.

Clarck ultimately took down the copycat event, but by that point, another one had sprung up online.

In the days leading up to her party, Weusthuis didn’t go out in public or to school, as strangers had shown up at the house, she told Trainwreck cameras.

Partygoers made plans to come from all over the country by train and in party buses. The event was advertised on billboards and T-shirts reading “Project X Haren.”

In the documentary, a city council member alleged that the town’s mayor, Rob Bats, ignored the party until it was too late, instead telling local news that the party wasn’t happening.

During the afternoon of Sept. 21, 2012, a crowd started gathering in the street outside Weusthuis’ house.  The teenager fled to her aunt’s house, where she and her mother watched the scene unfold on TV. Her father stayed at the house, because “he wanted to be there for the neighbors,” per Weusthuis.

Later that night, over 3,000 people showed up, according to the BBC. At first, they drank, blasted music and loudly partied in the street. Like the movie, some of the partygoers turned violent, throwing glass bottles, fighting and lighting multiple cars on fire. When the party spilled into town, store windows were smashed by looters.

Riot police arrived, aggressively attempting to stop looters with batons. While running from the police, many attendees charged through the Weusthuis’ backyard, destroying it, Weusthuis’ father told cameras. The police eventually stopped the party around midnight.

However, the next day, residents created their own Facebook page, Project Clean-X Haren, and began cleaning the streets, according to the documentary.

Did anyone die during the real Project X?

At one point in the evening, Weusthuis’ father was informed that two girls had been trampled to death in the crowd, Weusthuis said in the documentary. They were later told it was untrue.

While no one died, at least 36 were injured, including a man whose jaw was broken, per CNN. According to the documentary, 100 people were arrested after police analyzed video evidence, with 17 being charged with “crimes related to the riots.”

Where are the real Project X attendees now?

Those interviewed in the Netflix documentary expressed regret for their involvement in the real Project X.

“It finally hit me. If I’m ruining their lives, that’s not something I want,” Clarke told cameras, recalling when he took down his copycat event. “I’m sad to be associated with this.”

A few years after the party, Clarke says he ran into Weusthuis and apologized for the role he played.

In the documentary, one partygoer shared that he returned what he stole from looting, fearing that he would be identified by police in news or security footage.

After the events of Sept. 21, 2012, there was an inquiry into Mayor Rob Bats’ and the chief of police’s handling of the incident. In a press conference shown in the documentary, Bats said that “things should have gone differently … and for that, here today, I apologize.”

On March 12, 2013, Bats resigned during a city council meeting “after mounting public pressure,” per the documentary. He declined to participate in Trainwreck: The Real Project X.

Where is Merthe Weusthuis now?

In the documentary, Weusthuis says that after the party, she left the Netherlands.

She’s still hesitant to visit, saying, “Nowadays, I don’t come home that much anymore. I don’t think the Dutch have forgotten what happened.”

Weusthuis now lives in Dubai, where she is head of product and experience at Whiteshield, an advisory firm specializing in AI, according to her LinkedIn. She got married in 2024, per her Instagram.

On June 23, she posted the trailer for Trainwreck: The Real Project X on Instagram, writing that she wants her future children to know that she “didn’t hide from this chapter of my life.”

“When I turned 16, my birthday party was hijacked and blew up to what infamously became known as ‘Project X Haren’ named after the popular movie released that same year,” she wrote. “I am 28 now and after all these years, I’ve decided to finally tell this story. This story does not define me. But it is still mine to tell. It is still a part of who I am. Despite the renewed scrutiny, harassment and opinions I’m already preparing for, I’ll at least have spoken in my own voice.”