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By: Hellen Zaboulani
In a troublesome revelation, it seems kids are attempting dangerous and senseless “Spider-Man” stunts and acrobatics on top of New York City trains. As reported by the NY Post, six people have tragically died from subway surfing this year. Also, related-arrests for mindless stunts have jumped to 181 this year, up from 118 in 2023, as per NYPD data.
CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Janno Leiber, said the agency is the “most active on the issue”, and placed the blame on parents, urging them to take responsibility during a Monday press briefing. “We beg the parents, beg them, to take control of what’s going on, to make sure the kids don’t engage in this,” he said. The MTA has made some efforts to curb the foolish activity, with initiatives launched last year in which subway announcements voiced by NYC students urge passengers to “ride inside” to “stay alive.” Despite these efforts, there does not seem to be improvement, and officials are at a loss as to their next course of action.
Per the Post, the MTA has often noted that it works to push social media companies to remove subway surfing videos from the platforms, as their viral nature is to be blamed for the growing popularity. Lieber also blamed reoffending criminals, and pointed to a 20-something man taking a 13-year-old on a “subway surfing outing” over the weekend on the A train as an atrocious example. “He’s the same guy who moved the train in one of our yards a while back. He’s a chronic subway transit offender. So we got to deal with the recidivism issue,” he said.
On Monday, in the alarming oversight hearing with lawmakers, newly-minted Transit Bureau Chief Joseph Gulotta revealed that youngsters aren’t just standing on top of the moving trains—they are attempting all kinds of thoughtless stunts. “If you watch some of these drone footages, you’ll have 13, 14, kids up on that thing, and they’re doing acrobats. They’re jumping around,” Gulotta said.
The evidence was captured recently by surveillance teams using drones, which are part of the NYPD’s beefed-up enforcement to monitor stations that are notorious for subway surfing. Tragically, the young offenders are often looking for scenic backdrops that will help their content go viral, Gulotta said. This makes the 7 train, which runs above ground in Queens with the backdrop of NYC, particularly appealing for the dangerous stunts. “Spider-Man’s on the 7 line, riding that train. So, that’s where we want to get through… those schools along the seven line,” Gulotta added pointing to a scene featured in the film “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”
The fool hearted above-train activity has not been without consequence. On Oct. 28th, the stunts claimed a sixth victim, a teenage girl killed immediately on impact, after tumbling off while riding on top of a southbound 7 train, rolling into the 111th Street station in Queens. The victim was Krystal Romero, 13, and another teenage girl who had been up there with her, is fighting for her life in the hospital, with a fractured skull and initially unable to breathe on her own.
Per the Post, just a few days earlier, in October, Adolfo Sorzano, 13, was similarly killed on a train headed into the Forest Avenue station in Queens.
Norma Nazario, whose 15-year-old son Zackery died in 2023 while subway surfing, blasted the MTA at Monday’s hearing during a tear-filled testimony to lawmakers. “Even though the MTA pushes initiatives to tell kids not to subway surf, young people have complete access to unlocked doors and other access points without alarms or other systems to keep them out,” Nazario said.
