MTA warns of dangers of subway surfing after recent teenage deaths
BROOKLYN (WABC) -- After the latest young teen subway surfing death, MTA officials are working to warn other teens of the dangers.
On Monday, an 11-year-old from Park Slope, Brooklyn was killed after falling off the subway train and onto the tracks after pulling the dangerous stunt.
At the Whitman Houses in Fort Greene, neighbors of that 11-year-old boy say when they were young, they flirted with death too.
"We did it as kids. I'm 54 now. It's something I wouldn't dream of doing at this age," neighbor Jenar Ortiz said.
They hope kids today will wake up.
"We did a lot of dumb things. We would ride the elevators. We called it elevator surfing. Jumping from one elevator to the other you know. Talking to people as they got on the elevator while they were riding. The most dangerous and suicidal thing that you could possibly do," Ortiz said.
The 11-year-old's death is now the fourth - and youngest - child to die this year by subway surfing.
The others are all teenagers ages 13, 14, and 15 years old.
According to the NYPD, this time last year there were 3 deaths from riding outside the train.
And an eye-popping 240 people have been arrested for unsafe riding so far this year, compared to 193 last year.
The numbers are heading in the wrong direction.
To combat this viral trend, the MTA says it is working with social media companies to flag and remove posts depicting subway surfing.
The MTA says more than 10,000 posts have been removed so far.
"Social media needs to be more responsible. They should not post any subway surfing video. That is helping to proliferate this problem," Mayor Adams said.
"They get millions of views," Adams continued.
The agency has also released PSA digital ads that appear on subway screens in stations and train cars.
"Maybe my voice can reach other young people who are doing these dangerous acts," one of the PSA ads say.
"Ride inside stay alive!" the PSA says.
The hope is this content gets more attention than videos the teens are posting subway surfing.
"It's not worth it. It's not. They don't see the danger. All they see is the fame," neighbor Emma Hicks said.
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
