Subway surfing deaths spark alarm in New York

The latest victim of subway surfing was a young New Yorker of around 18 years of age who lost an arm and a leg after falling onto the tracks last Wednesday. It was 6.10 p.m. and she was attempting to board a moving train at the West 135th Street-Lenox Avenue subway stop in the Harlem neighborhood. She is in critical condition, but many other subway surfers have not survived. According to police sources, this dangerous practice has claimed the lives of six young people between the ages of 11 and 15 so far this year (and caused the death of five teenagers in 2023).

Subway surfing is a phenomenon that occurs mainly in New York, where the subway system is extensive. It consists of climbing onto the roof of a moving subway car and walking on it while maintaining balance. Falls onto the tracks are not only potentially life-threatening but often fatal, yet teenagers who practice this trend do so seduced by the prospect of becoming famous on social media.

“When you are in that moment of adrenaline, please think of the consequences. There are many other ways to have fun. Please do not get carried away by a challenge on social media,” was the message given to young people by the father of Adolfo Sorzano, a 13-year-old boy who died on October 23 while surfing on a subway in Queens. “You’re your own person. You can say no to your friends.” However, just four days later, another young girl of the same age, Krystel Romero, died after falling from a moving train on Flushing Avenue, Queens, while doing the same thing.

“Heartbroken to hear that subway surfing — and the pursuit of social media clout — has stolen another life,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams posted on X on October 28. “We are doing everything we can to raise awareness against this dangerous trend, but we need all New Yorkers — and our social media companies — to do their part, too. No post is worth your future.” As early as September 2023, Adams launched an awareness campaign: “Subway surfing kills. Ride inside, stay alive.”

David C. Banks, head of the New York City Department of Education, has distributed awareness materials to 60 schools located around the 7, J, M and Z subway lines in New York, where the highest number of cases have occurred. Meanwhile, the NYPD has deployed 900 drones, which according to Mayor Adams have contributed to the arrests of 114 young people, including a nine-year-old boy. In addition, there is a free online mental health care program for teenagers sponsored by the city.

According to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the number of subway surfers has quadrupled since 2021, from 206 to 984 young people. Arrests have also increased significantly: according to ABC, 240 people have been arrested this year, compared to 193 in 2023. Although it has been practiced since the 1980s, subway surfing has now become a viral trend thanks to social media, where it has generated more than 10,900 related posts, turning the challenge into an incentive for vulnerable teenagers thirsty for attention and popularity. Given the severity of the trend, the MTA has asked social media company executives to remove all related content.

In October, a group of 14 lawyers from around the U.S. sued TikTok over the dangerousness of its challenges, claiming that the company “knows that compulsive use and other harmful effects of its platform are wreaking havoc on the mental health of millions of American children and teens.” On Reddit, there are several groups where participants exchange advice. “There’s always room from the platform to the back, and there’s no risk. The only thing you have to worry about is the police at a station, but they’ll probably just give you a verbal warning about all those who have died from riding in the front of the train,” one commented. “We should encourage more subway surfing. It’s not only a talent, but a form of personal expression. New York is the city of diversity, equality, and inclusion, so let’s not discriminate against subway surfers.”

The hashtag #subwaysurfers has now been removed from TikTok with a warning that it could be associated with behavior or content that violates its rules: “Promoting a safe and positive experience is TikTok’s top priority.” However, information about the movement is still widely available, and videos of the video game of the same name, Subway Surfers, can still be viewed, in which users run along tracks and jump on top of trains to escape from the police.

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