How Subway Surfing is killing New Yorkers

In June of last year, a video went viral showing eight youths engaging in subway surfing in New York, which involves running and jumping on top of subway train cars as they traverse the Williamsburg Bridge, connecting the neighborhood of the same name with the Lower East Side. Shortly thereafter, the New York Police reported that a 15-year-old boy had been urgently rushed to the hospital with a severe head injury after hitting his head while "surfing" the subway. The subway tunnels in New York are very narrow, and when on top of a moving car, it's easy to collide with the steel beams on the ceiling. However, the evident danger of this practice did not prevent it from growing exponentially.

How widespread is subway surfing?

In 2021, there were 206 reported incidents of subway surfing, while the previous year saw 928 cases, marking a 366 percent increase. "Surfing" the subway by clinging to the rear or lying on the roof of train cars is a trend that involves a small number of New York teenagers. It has been known in the city since the 1980s but has recently gained popularity. While not formally a "challenge," Mayor Eric Adams attributes the rise of this phenomenon to social media and has called for TikTok to ban videos depicting these acts. For example, in June 2023, when the New York sky turned orange due to wildfires in Canada, a video showing a 16-year-old boy subway surfing had garnered nearly 6 million views on TikTok before it was banned.

What does the practice involve?

«I’ve seen some videos, and I was shocked by how popular this practice is on social media. Its promotion is harmful to our kids,» Mayor Adams said in a video conversation with Zackery Nazario's mother, a fifteen-year-old who died last February while subway surfing. The clip concludes with the text «subway surfing kills.» In 2023, there have been at least four deaths caused by this practice, compared to two in the previous year. According to Curbed, a publication associated with New York Magazine, the most daring individuals not only cling to or lie on top of subway cars but also attempt to run and jump on them. The frequent construction work within New York City's extensive subway network makes it almost impossible to predict with certainty whether a route will go as expected, making the practice even more dangerous. The crews involved are largely comprised of very young individuals, between fourteen and eighteen years old, and some of them, when speaking to Curbed, have even referred to these acts as «a form of art.»

The precautions taken by the authorities against the phenomenon

«Running on top of a subway car makes you feel like you're in a movie,» a young surfer from Queens told Curbed. Others have also mentioned being inspired by the popular smartphone game Subway Surfers, in which a street artist evades the police by jumping on subway train cars. In response, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the company responsible for public transportation in New York, had to issue a notice to railway staff to ensure that there are no people traveling outside of the train cars they operate in order to limit the phenomenon "in real life." However, these young individuals are rarely identified and apprehended by law enforcement. It has also been necessary to display signs inside subway stations warning of the danger of this practice. The subway speakers in New York now frequently broadcast the message that «it is illegal and very dangerous to travel or walk between train cars.»