New York City Cracks Down on ‘Subway Surfing’ with Permanent Drone Enforcement

Mayor Adams Announces Permanent Drone Crackdown on Subway Lines

7 Permanent Enforcement of Hot Spot Crackdowns on Subway Lines, J·M·Z Lines, etc.

Mayor Eric Adams Announces Permanent Drone Crackdown to Combat ‘Subway Surfing’

New York City is launching a full-scale crackdown on drones to eradicate reckless, life-threatening ‘Subway Surfing’. Citizens are encouraged to actively report incidents to help prevent these dangerous activities.

On October 31st, New York City Mayor Eric Adams held a press conference in Woodside, Queens, where the most recent ‘Subway surfing’ death occurred. He announced that drones will be launched on so-called ‘Subway surfing’ hotspot routes, including the Queens subway line 7 and Brooklyn’s J, M, and Z lines. The crackdown will be implemented permanently, and citizens are urged to actively report cases to eradicate Subway surfing.

According to the New York Police Department (NYPD), when a report is received via 911 or 311 about ‘subway surfing’ in which a person is riding on a train, a drone is immediately dispatched to film the surfer. The on-site response team then chases the surfer and arrests them at the next subway station. The captured drone video is used as evidence.

Mayor Adams launched the ‘Subway Surfing Kills. Ride Inside, Stay Alive’ campaign in September last year and began cracking down on drones as a pilot program. According to the NYPD, in the 12 months since the campaign began, drones have been deployed 900 times and arrested 114 people. The arrested Subway surfers ranged from a minimum of 9 years old to a maximum of 33 years old, with an average of only 14 years old.

NYPD Deputy Chief Kaz Daughtry emphasized the importance of the crackdown, stating, “The NYPD prefers to use the term ‘Saved’ rather than ‘Apprehended’ when cracking down on Subway surfing, because these are arrests that actually save lives. We also discipline our children and take active steps to prevent recurrence.”

Despite the crackdowns by New York City and the NYPD, the number of Subway surfing deaths this year was six, exceeding the previous year’s five. The city remains committed to eradicating this reckless behavior and ensuring the safety of its citizens.