Two young girls, believed to be 12 and 13, were found dead early Saturday from riding on top of a Brooklyn subway train, authorities say. This only furthered the concerns over the dangerous activity known as “subway surfing.”
Police were called to the stop just after 3 a.m. where they discovered the teens unconscious and unresponsive. They were pronounced dead at the scene. Transit officials called the stunt “suicidal,” urging families and the community to warn children of the danger.
“Parents, teachers and friends need to be clear with loved ones: getting on top of a subway car isn’t “surfing” — it’s suicide,” stated Demetrius Crichlow, the New York City Transit President.
The incident is the most recent in a concerning trend. Six people died from subway surfing in 2024 which is up from five in 2023. The NYPD says it arrested 229 alleged subway surfers last year, most of them boys with an average age of 14. The youngest arrest was a 9‑year‑old.
City leaders say the rise in fatalities is connected to social media. Videos and images of subway surfing stunts spread rapidly, fueling kids to attempt to copy these actions.
In response, drones and response teams are being deployed to watch over train roofs and catch riders in the act, and the NYPD says it has helped stop more than 200 such cases. These efforts, however, can’t be everywhere at once.
Furthermore, officials recognize the limitations their solutions have. One seemingly obvious solution would be to lock the doors on trains to prevent kids from climbing to the roof; however, this puts passengers who need to escape to safety in emergency situations at risk. The “Ride Inside, Stay Alive” campaign continues to run across schools and stations.
But for some families, these efforts are too little, too late.
15-year-old Ka’Von Maxwell, a boy who loved trains and dreamed of becoming an operator, died in December of 2022 after attempting this dangerous activity.
“When Ka’Von died … literally two weeks later, another child died. And another one. That makes no sense,” his mother, Y’Vonda Maxwell, told The Associated Press. “Why should my child have not been the end?”
As grief mounts over the weekend’s fatalities, authorities say their priority is clear: prevent the next tragedy before it can happen.
