Deadly Thrill: Why You Must Report Subway Surfing to 911 Immediately
Recently, related deaths have increased again.
New York City government takes extensive preventive measures
As the number of deaths related to ‘subway surfing’, which involves climbing onto a moving train and taking a video of yourself surfing, has increased, the New York City government has taken preventive measures.
On the 31st of last month, New York City Mayor Eric Adams urged, “To reduce accidents related to subway surfing, New Yorkers should proactively call 911 if they see someone attempting to surf.”
This measure was taken in response to a series of accidents on the 27th of last month in which a 13-year-old girl was killed while attempting to surf on the No. 7 subway, and a 14-year-old girl was seriously injured. Previously, on the 23rd of last month, a 13-year-old boy died while surfing on the Queens Ridgewood M subway.
New York City Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Chancey Parker said, “All adults, including parents, need to remind children how dangerous subway surfing is,” and asked them to report and take preventive measures.
Accident prevention using drones continues. The New York Police Department’s (NYPD) drone team used 911 call data to deploy drones and field response teams to areas with the most subway surfing-related accidents. The NYPD said it has saved the lives of more than 100 New Yorkers over the past 12 months. When a person is discovered attempting to surf on the subway, a response team is dispatched to the next station to stop them. The NYPD said, “We will use equipment to more actively respond to subway surfing accidents.”
In particular, New York City Mayor Adams said, “Video service companies such as TikTok that upload videos and cause wrong behavior among teenagers must be held accountable,” adding, “We will continue the campaign to prevent subway surfing.”
Last year, as the number of teenagers dying from subway surfing increased, New York Governor Cathy Hocal and Mayor Adams worked with the city Department of Transportation (DOT) to attach posters on subway platforms starting in September of last year and make announcements about subway surfing through announcements on the subway. A campaign was launched to raise awareness of the dangers.
Reporter Yoon Ji-hye yoon.jihye@koreadailyny.com