The deadly 'game' thrill-seekers can't stop playing... even though they keep on dying
Many videos of mainly young teens climbing onto the tops of subway cars and 'surfing' them as they speed through aboveground stations have circulated social media over the last few years.
But so has the reports of death, leaving families torn apart and authorities begging borough residents to quit the chaos.
Just last week, a 30-year-old man lost his life while subway surfing in the Bronx around 3.15am.
The unidentified man fell between train cars on a Northbound 1 train near the 238th Street Station in Kingsbridge, police said. It took two hours to remove his body from the tracks.
The main victims, however, are typically youths in their early teens, who scurry on top of the cars with their friends after school for a dangerous joy ride.
'These are 12, 13, and 14-year-olds doing this,' an MTA spokesperson told DailyMail.com. 'Nothing good comes of it.'
The MTA is currently not doing interviews about subway surfing and a spokesperson told DailyMail.com that these social media videos are only 'encouraging people' to participate in the risky trend.
Many videos of mainly young teens climbing onto the tops of subway cars and 'surfing' them as they speed through aboveground stations have circulated social media over the last few years. But so has the reports of death, leaving authorities begging residents to quit the chaos
More than 415 people have been arrested for subway surfing between January 1, 2023 and April 15, 2025, NYPD data shared with DailyMail.com showed.
Thirteen have died during the same period.
The NYPD apprehended 229 citizens last year, with 53 of those happening before April 15, 2024. In the same Spring timeframe, two died.
Compared to this year, the number of arrests and fatalities puts 2025 on the same track as the year before with 52 arrests and two fatalities so far. Overall in 2024 there were six deaths.
One of the teenage boys who died from riding atop subway cars was Zackery Nazario in February 2023.
He was riding on top of a train as it soared around the Williamsburg Bridge between Brooklyn and Manhattan when his head hit a steel beam, knocking him off the train, and leaving his body laying across live track lines before he was run over by a carriage, The Times reported. He was 15 years old.
Now, his mother, Norma Nazario, has teamed up with the MTA, City Hall, and Governor Kathy Hochul to raise awareness about the dangers of the so-called sport and to encourage people to stop.
Norma sat down with Mayor Eric Adams last June to pay tribute to her son, who wanted to be a Marine and was someone who loved Frank Sinatra.
Now, his mother, Norma Nazario (pictured), has paired up with the MTA, City Hall, and Governor Kathy Hochul to raise awareness about the dangers of the so-called sport and to encourage people to stop
She remembered the excruciating hours she waited for her son to text her back. Around 10pm, she texted Zackery to ask where he was.
Moments later, NYPD officers knocked on her door and her heart went into her throat, she told the mayor.
'I couldn't even speak,' she said.
Adams admitted to Norma that he was 'really shocked by how popular' the trend was on social media.
'It's just really harmful to our children,' he told her.
Norma said young New Yorkers needed to 'stop worrying about followers' and begin thinking about how this could hurt families forever.
'Family and friends are going to be hurt forever, especially your mom,' Norma said.
DailyMail.com has contacted Norma for further comment.
Anthony Bhagwandeen, 15, died riding on top of a subway in Queens. He suffered a severe head injury near Beach 90th Street Station in Rockaway in July 2024.
Just a month before that an unidentified 13-year-old boy was killed while subway surfing in the Bronx.
He lost his life after riding on top of a northbound No. 6 train at the Middletown Road station in Pelham Bay, the NYPD reported.
The deceased child suffered a head trauma, among other injuries.
In January 2024, Alam Reyes, 14, fell off a Coney Island-bound F Train in Brooklyn and died at the scene.
His heartbroken half-brother later revealed that the teenager followed multiple accounts that posted pictures and videos of subway surfing around the city.
All of these deaths prompted the local and state government, alongside the MTA, to launch the 'Stay Inside, Stay Alive' campaign, which advocates against subway surfing, in September 2023.
The NYPD deployed more officers to outside stations, especially along the 7 line, which has the highest number of incidents in the NYC transit system, according to the MTA.
Teachers were also instructed to warn students about the dangers and merchandise was distributed to students with the new motto.
Advertisements appeared in stations and on trains, as well as, on social media and on the backs of some MetroCards.
The organization and the government entities also asked TikTok and Google, among others, to limit visibility on subway surfing videos.
Subway surfing in New York City can be traced back to 1938 when Donald Munoz, 11, and William Layden, 12, fell off the top of a Brooklyn train after it clipped an overpass, The New York Times reported.
They both fractured their skulls after hitting the tracks, killing Munoz and knocking Layden unconscious, the outlet said.
It became popularized in the 1980s and by 1996, then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani had declared there was 'no way that you can protect a child who decides to surf on the top of a subway car.'
The deadly trend has now re-popularized in the last few years.
State Senator Leroy Comrie even suggested greasing the tops of subway cars to prevent youngsters from even getting up there, according to The New York Times.
The NYPD has deployed drones that follow subway surfers, but the surveillance doesn't deter the rebellious youth, who wave and flip of the machine, an officer told The New York Times.
Repeat offenders are common in the system and considering most youths won't cop charges, even if arrested, there's little deterrent for them to stop.
Michael, 20, whose last name was withheld, told The New York Times the only way he thinks kids will stop the dangerous thrill-seeking behavior is to show the dead bodies.
'Forget the announcements. They need to start showing the dead bodies of these kids and nail it into their brains that they shouldn't do anything like this for TikTok clout,' he told the outlet.
But for now, it seems, some kids will never learn.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
19 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Roger Goodell emotional during first interview since NYC shooting
Goodell outlined feeling a sense of "tremendous loss" at the funeral, despite noting it was a "heartwarming service." "[He's] somebody that we see outside the building most every day when we come in," Goodell said of Islam. "And it hits home, the unnecessary and unexplainable loss. It's something that all of us as New Yorkers feel a great pride in the NYPD and the first responders. It was a difficult, emotional afternoon." Goodell also acknowledged it was difficult to grapple with the reality that the NFL was specifically targeted in the attack, and the pain it has brought to the league's employees. "It's a difficult thing, particularly when you're dealing with a senseless act like this," Goodell said. "There are no excuses for the senseless acts. They're hard for all of us to understand. When it inflicts pain on people you know and people you care about and people you deal with on a daily basis, that's particularly hard. "But as you know, these acts of senseless violence are happening in our country and around our world far too often. In churches, and schools and synagogues and other places that this should just not be happening. We all have to continue to be vigilant and continue to protect ourselves. The NFL is going to continue to do that with our employees and our people." Goodell also provided another positive update on the NFL employee injured in the shooting. The 66-year-old said he visited the victim in the hospital, who is "stable and improving," and got to speak to his family. But overall, Goodell's tone was reserved and somber as he addressed the mass shooting. "This is an attack on humanity," Goodell said. "This is an attack on our communities. This is an attack on New York. This is an attack on our way of life."
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Emotional NFL commissioner Roger Goodell left choked up in first interview after deadly shooting at NYC offices
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was overcome with emotion as he conducted his first interview since the deadly shooting at the league's headquarters in New York. On Monday night, Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old licensed private investigator from Las Vegas, opened fire at 345 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, killing four people. NYPD have since claimed that Tamura was targeting the NFL offices on another floor but entered the wrong elevator and instead ended up at a real estate office. In the following days, Goodell released a solemn letter addressing the issue and asking colleagues to stay away from the league's Manhattan's offices. Then, on Thursday night, Goodell appeared on NBC's broadcast ahead of the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game to once again speak on the matter. Reflecting on the death of NYPD officer Didarul Islam, Goodell said: 'Well, first, [it's a] tremendous loss. You see the officer's family, his young children... it's something that happens in the line of work for police officers but that never makes it easy. The tragedy unfolded Monday night when Shane Tamura, 27, of Las Vegas exited a double-parked BMW armed with a rifle before entering the midtown-Manhattan skyscraper '[He's] somebody that we see outside the building most every day when we come in. And it hits home, the unnecessary and unexplainable loss. 'It's something that all of us as New Yorkers feel a great pride in the NYPD and the first responders. It was a difficult, emotional afternoon.' While Tamura did not enter the fifth floor - where the NFL headquarters are located - officers have determined that he was in fact trying to locate the league's office. Reflecting on that fact, Goodell said: 'It's a difficult thing, particularly when you're dealing with a senseless act like this. 'There are no excuses for the senseless acts. They're hard for all of us to understand. When it inflicts pain on people you know and people you care about and people you deal with on a daily basis, that's particularly hard. 'But as you know, these acts of senseless violence are happening in our country and around our world far too often. In churches, and schools and synagogues and other places that this should just not be happening. 'We all have to continue to be vigilant and continue to protect ourselves. The NFL is going to continue to do that with our employees and our people.' Goodell also provided an update on the NFL employee who was injured during the shooting and insisted that he's 'stable and improving'. The league commissioner revealed that he got to speak with the family after visiting the victim in the hospital. (via @NFL) — FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) August 1, 2025 The tragedy unfolded Monday night when Shane Tamura, 27, of Las Vegas exited a BMW armed with a rifle before entering the midtown-Manhattan skyscraper. New York Police Department officials say Tamura then fired on one officer and sprayed the lobby with bullets before taking an elevator to the 33rd floor, where he fatally shot another person and killed himself. A note found in his wallet later implied he was upset with the NFL over his belief he was suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma. CTE, as it is known, can only be diagnosed posthumously. Tamura, who was reportedly a former high school football player, asked to have his brain studied after his death. Police say he had a history of mental illness.
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Thousands gather to farewell NYPD officer killed in Midtown mass shooting
Thousands gathered to say farewell to the New York City Police Department officer who was killed in Monday's mass shooting in Midtown. The funeral for 36-year-old Didarul Islam took place at the Parkchester Jame Masjid, located on a residential street in the officer's neighborhood in the Bronx, three days after he was killed in the deadliest shooting in the city in a quarter-century, The New York Times noted. The gunman entered the office building at 345 Park Avenue with an assault style-rifle and started to discharge the weapon. He killed Islam and two others before heading to the 33rd floor, where he killed a fourth person, before he died by suicide. Police say the shooter, Shane Tamura, 27, had made his way to New York from his Nevada home, where he was set on targeting the headquarters of the National Football League. Hundreds of officers from as many as 54 of the 77 precincts in the city, as well as from states and counties in the surrounding area, attended the funeral. The streets around the mosque were empty of cars for the proceedings, with Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch saying that 'Didarul Islam came to this country as an immigrant with no guarantees, only the hope that hard work, that humility, and that purpose might lead him somewhere meaningful. And it did.' The rituals went on for close to four hours, with separate viewings for men and women. Floral wreaths covered the room, with the casket covered with the Police Department's standard in green, white, and blue. Mayor Eric Adams, himself a former NYPD officer, spoke at the funeral while the winner of the Democratic mayoral primary, Zohran Mamdani, sat with the family, The NYT noted. Islam came to New York City from Bangladesh when he was 20 years old, living in a small house along with his parents, his young sons, and his pregnant wife. In a eulogy read on his wife's behalf, she wrote that Islam had 'lived to help others' and that 'He gave his life protecting them. Though my heart is broken, I find comfort knowing that his sacrifice might have saved others.' Islam, who served in the department for three and a half years, joined the agency after spending two years as a safety agent in city schools. Even as an officer, he spent his time off as a security guard. Islam worked the Dominican Day Parade in the Bronx on Sunday before picking up an additional shift on Monday at 345 Park Avenue. 'He stepped into a new land and chose to become part of its promise, to believe in its dream. And he did believe in the American dream, not as something handed down but as something built with your own hands,' said Tisch. 'He may not be here to see that dream fulfilled, but his sons will surely grow up with its foundation beneath their feet.' Friends and colleagues said Islam was a devoted Muslim. Imam Dr. Zakir Ahmed of the Islamic Cultural Center of New York said during remarks that Islam, 'lived at a time when people like him are too often feared, vilified and made to feel like outsiders.' 'We cannot honor Officer Islam today while ignoring the daily pain endured by his community — being told to go back where you came from, being watched more closely, judged more harshly and loved less fully,' Imam Ahmed added, according to The NYT. 'To our city, our nation, you cannot ask us to serve and then silence us,' he said. 'You cannot take our sacrifice and ignore our suffering.'
