Authorities reported a tragic incident on a Brooklyn train where two teenage girls, one just 13 years old, lost their lives in what is believed to be a subway-surfing accident.
This grim event marks the fifth subway surfing casualty this year, bringing the total fatalities close to six, equaling the previous year’s numbers.
Emergency services were summoned at 3:10 a.m. to the Marcy Avenue-Broadway subway station in Williamsburg, where they discovered the girls unresponsive on top of a Brooklyn-bound J train.
The girls were declared dead at the scene of the incident.
Sources revealed that one of the victims is estimated to be between 13 and 18 years old.
“It is heartbreaking that two young lives were lost because they mistakenly believed that riding outside a subway car was a playful activity,” stated NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow. “We must communicate the serious message to parents, educators, and friends: climbing on top of a subway train is not ‘surfing’ — it’s an act that can lead to tragedy.” He also expressed sympathy for the families grieving this loss and for transit workers affected by the incident.
<pLaw enforcement officials spoke to three teenage boys at the station and later took two of them away for questioning.
First responders also carried a plastic bag and skateboard out of the subway station, although it remains unclear if these belonged to the victims, whose identities have not yet been revealed.
Witnesses described how the girls were part of a group of around 15 teens who were milling about inside the train right before the tragedy occurred.
This dangerous trend, largely fueled by social media, has seen a rise in recent years as young individuals post videos of subway surfing. From 2018 to 2022, only five fatalities were recorded from this activity.
Earlier this year, on July 4, 15-year-old Carlos Oliver from the Bronx tragically fell to his death from a southbound 7 train as it approached Queensboro Plaza station.
On March 14, a 12-year-old named Gustavo Guaman-Quizhpilema from Queens suffered critical injuries while subway surfing atop a 7 train at the 111th Street station in Corona, shortly before 8:15 a.m.
Gustavo ultimately succumbed to his injuries four days later, as reported on a fundraising page.
A GoFundMe campaign was launched to assist with his funeral expenses and raised approximately $12,000 by the end of March.
MTA officials have urged parents to shield their children from becoming involved in this reckless behavior.
Since 2023, the MTA has been airing a public service announcement titled “Ride Inside, Stay Alive” in subways, urging teenagers not to engage in riding on the outside of trains.
In November 2023, the NYPD initiated drone surveillance to address this issue and reported 229 arrests for individuals riding outside trains in 2024, a significant increase from 135 arrests the previous year, according to department data.
