John R. Fischer

Last Saturday, I witnessed something that I had only read about or seen in videos. I was waiting for the F train (which is an NYC subway line, for those who don’t live in New York City) when I saw across the platform another train wiz by. On top of the roof of one of the cars was a young boy who couldn’t have been more than thirteen. He had his arms out like a bird, as if to say I’m free or I’m soaring.

Everyone on the platform was shocked. It was one of the most stupid things I have ever seen. From 2018 to 2022, there were five subway surfing deaths and then another five in 2023 alone, according to the MTA’s anti-surfing campaign, which started last September. Ironically, the first death of 2024 was that of a 14-year-old who fell from a Coney Island-bound F train in January, which was the same exact type of train that this boy I saw was riding.

While the number of deaths may seem low to you, these stats indicate that the trend of subway surfing may be growing. Also, the number of incidents overall is much higher. Between January and June 2023, the MTA recorded over 450 instances of people riding outside of trains. The NYPD took enforcement action against 87 subway surfers, nearly triple the number its enforcement for such incidents in 2022. Officers visited the homes of 69 known culprits and had follow-up conversations with the guardians of all 82 young people that they took enforcement against (not sure about the other five who were probably adults and not minors).

The MTA’s “Subway Surfing Kills – Ride Inside, Stay Alive” Public Information Campaign was launched last summer, created by a group of teens. It includes public service announcements in stations recorded by students; digital signage across stations; student-created graphics and animations; posters and banners hung up along train platforms and distributed in schools; physical palm cards; and school swag including planners, pens and pencils, notepads, and sticky notes.

Also, social media plays a big role, with teens and teachers speaking out on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube about the dangers of this trend and how attempting to get a viral video is not worth your life. Partnerships with Meta, Google, and TikTok are also promoting the campaign as well.

The most important thing that anyone can do when they see a situation like this is to find a police officer or MTA employee and report it, or call 911. Parents and guardians should also have conversations with their kids about this situation. Additionally, schools and parents may want to consider conversations or classes about addressing peer pressure to do stunts like this, with speakers who can discuss tactics for resisting pressure. This also should apply to societies worldwide as New York is not the only one dealing with this challenge.

While the lives of these people are the most important factor to consider in this dumb trend, there are other consequences as well. For instance, issues like this can lead to lawsuits against the city and MTA for failing to protect children. These suits, in my opinion, are unfair toward the city and agency and waste time as well as hundreds of dollars in taxpayer money. Also, when subway surfing fatalities occur, it leads to delays, which for many people, while mostly a minor nuisance, can also create dilemmas in their lives. For instance, a person who may not be able to make it to work on time for an important meeting may get in trouble with their boss and even possibly be fired. I know it seems like a stretch, but that is a possibility. Not everyone is as understanding or cares about situations like this that make you late.

Or it could be a situation where someone is on the way to the hospital to say goodbye to a loved one before they pass, and this prevents them from doing so. You never know what’s going on in the lives of anyone around you. Actions have consequences. For anyone out there who is considering trying subway surfing, I hope this blog can play a small but meaningful role in convincing you not to risk your life for the sake of some dumb and more importantly, DEADLY online trend.