Sister of girl killed while subway surfing in Brooklyn describes her loss: 'She was everything'
WILLIAMSBURG, Brooklyn (WABC) -- An 11-year-old girl is hoping to send an urgent message to young children like her, after her sister and another girl were tragically killed while subway surfing in Brooklyn over the weekend.
"She was always there for me. She was everything for me," said 11-year-old Maryam Mukhtarov.
Mukhtarov is now facing the biggest loss of her life, her 12-year-old sister Zemfira, who Mukhtarov says was her best friend.
When her mom saw video of Zemfira's skateboard on TV Saturday morning, her heart sank.
With her parents' permission, Maryam Mukhtarov spoke exclusively with Eyewitness News.
"I was like, that's her skateboard and that's her Coach bag, that's her," she said.
The soon-to-be 13-year-old had been killed subway surfing in Brooklyn on a J train. It was 3 a.m. at the Marcy Avenue subway station.
The eighth grader was with another girl, a 13-year-old who Mukhtarov says her sister recently met on social media.
On Friday night, the sisters were together at their home in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.
"She didn't talk to me because she got mad at me, so she kind of ignored me that night, which is kind of sad," Mukhtarov said.
She says Zemfira snuck out of the house while the family was sleeping.
"I feel like it's God's plan, to take care, because what if he really needs her really badly," Mukhtarov said.
She told Eyewitness News that her sister didn't talk much about subway surfing but insisted she would never do it. Her message to other young people is to not do it, "it's just not worth it."
The 11-year-old girl is now trying to cope with a tremendous loss.
"My mom, she has a lady, and she was talking to my sister through the spirit box and she's been sending a lot of messages to me, like 'don't miss me, don't cry, I hate to see you cry, everything is OK, I'm happy, I'll come back soon,'" Mukhtarov said.
Zemfira's father says that no child should lose their life in such a tragic way.
The family has started a GoFundMe page to help with this sudden loss.
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