The MTA has been combating the rise in subway surfers.
In this July 28, 2021 file photo, a subway train crosses the Williamsburg Bridge in New York.
A 14-year-old boy is dead and another teen is in critical condition after officials say they fell from the top of a New York City subway train they were riding on as it passed through the Williamsburg Bridge on Friday.
The teens were allegedly "subway surfing" on top of the J train as it passed from the bridge into Manhattan when the 14-year-old fell from from the bridge and into a lot near Delancey Street and Lewis Street, according to police.
In this July 28, 2021 file photo, a subway train crosses the Williamsburg Bridge in New York. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images, FILE
The 18-year-old fell onto the tracks at the location, according to police.
They were both transported to Bellevue Hospital where the 14-year-old was pronounced dead, police said. The 18-year-old victim was in critical condition as of Saturday.
New York City Transit has raised alarms about the growing number of subway surfing incidents over the last couple of years.
There were 928 reports of people riding outside of trains in 2022, according to the news website The City. Prior to 2019, there were 490 reports of people riding outside of trains in 2019, according to The City.
In this July 21, 2014, file photo, a J train passes through Williamsburg's south side in New York. Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images, FILE
Last year, five people were killed in subway surfing related incidents, according to the Metropolitan Transit Authority.
The NYPD said as of May 23, there has been one subway surfing related fatality this year. The police have made 75 subway surfing arrests so far this year.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called Friday's incident "a preventable tragedy."
"No family should get a call like that," the mayor said in a statement posted on social media. "Subway surfing is deadly. My heart breaks for the families of these young people."
NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow echoed the mayor's sentiments.
"This is heartbreaking and knowing that riding outside trains is going to end tragically, it's incomprehensible-and pains me as a parent-that it continues to happen," he said in a statement.
The MTA has worked to combat subway surfing with public service announcements, media campaigns and other outreach in the last couple of years.
The New York City Transit Authority released this PSA about subway surfing. MTA
They have also called on social media companies to take down posts of pictures and videos people subway surfing more quickly.
"I'm imploring families, friends, teachers, and others coming into contact with teens engaging in these suicidal stunts to get them to stop," Crichlow said.
Well_Spoken_Mute on May 25th, 2026 at 00:52 UTC »
14 years old? Jesus Christ.
Lucky-Roy on May 25th, 2026 at 00:51 UTC »
In Sydney, they had to put protective guards on certain bridges to stop kids pissing onto 1500 volt overhead wiring as a dare. Yes, some died. No, they’ve found other stupid things to do, such as ride the connectors between trams or climbing onto the back of the last train carriage. A young girl recently found out the hard way about the less than six inch ground clearance of trams. Messy.
Ayarkay on May 25th, 2026 at 00:29 UTC »
People were subway surfing long before social media. I’m trying to find clear/reliable stats, but from what I can tell the number of subway surfer deaths in NYC in the 80s-90s was higher than in recent years.