The New York City Police Department says it has made more that 200 rescues of so-called subway surfers since November 2023, and the agency is urging the mostly teenagers who do it to “ride inside and stay alive.”
Train surfing has been around nearly as long as trains themselves, and involves riding on the outside of a moving train, usually on the roof. In New York City, subway surfing has become more of a trend in recent years, with deadly consequences.
The NYPD shared a video on Monday showing several such incidents. The clips, captured by drone, show individuals riding atop train cars in areas where the trains are running above ground.
“Since November 2023, NYPD drones have been there to save the lives, largely of teens, from this reckless trend,” the NYPD wrote alongside the video on social media. “200 rescues. 200 life-or-death moments when the NYPD answered the call.”
In New York City alone, six people died while subway surfing in 2024, following five such deaths in 2023. According to the NYPD, most of the hundreds of people arrested for subway surfing in recent years have been juvenile boys, mostly teens.
“Subway surfing isn’t a thrill-seeking trend. It’s a tragedy waiting to happen,” the video’s caption reads. “Ride inside and stay alive.”
