A 13-year-old girl died and a 12-year-old was injured when they fell off a 7 train in Queens while subway surfing on Sunday night.
The girls were on top of the train when they fell between carriages at Corona’s 111th Street stop just before 11 p.m.
They boarded at the Flushing Main St. station and were rushing on top of the moving subway as it traveled west, jumping between train cars, according to authorities.
When the train came to a stop, the females lost their footing. One person died after falling under the train.
The other sustained a head injury, including brain hemorrhaging, and is currently intubated at Elmhurst Hospital in severe condition.
This is the sixth subway surfing death this year. Just last week, a 13-year-old plunged to his death while subway surfing at Queens’ Forest Avenue station.
Five people were killed while subway surfing last year.
Despite the most recent tragedy, less than 12 hours after the accident, witnesses reported seeing more young people doing the same thing in the same location, with no visible police presence to deter or stop them.
Police chiefs insist that enforcement has been increased. Surveillance teams are utilizing drones along elevated lines that are popular with metro riders.
The NYPD’s newly hired transit chief assured MTA board members that the department is determined to stop it.
“We have a drone program that is primarily seen on the J and 7 lines,” stated NYPD Transit Bureau Chief Joseph Gulotta. “We’re going to strike social media hard. We’re releasing videos featuring parents. We’re illustrating how this affects it.”
Some MTA board members advocate for more effective outreach as well as stronger enforcement.
“You feel invulnerable at this point in your life, as if nothing can go wrong, that every journey will always end happily, and we need to have people in their lives that they respect, listen to, and tell them, ‘No, this is not the way.’ “There are other ways to validate yourself,” stated MTA board member David Jones.
Mayor Eric Adams expressed his heartbreak over the recent death.
“Heartbroken to hear that subway surfing – and the pursuit of social media clout – has stolen another life,” Adams told the audience. “We are doing everything we can to raise awareness about this hazardous trend, but we urge all New Yorkers and social media businesses to do their part as well. There is no post worth your future. My prayers are with the families of both girls.”