New York kids are dying attempting the subway surfing challenge

A dangerous trend inspired by the popular mobile game Subway Surfers sees young kids and teens catching rides on top of moving trains—sometimes with fatal consequences.

On October 23, 13-year-old Adolfo Sanabria Sorzano died after attempting the subway surfing challenge in Queens, New York. Days later, 13-year-old Krystel Romero died after falling off a 7 train while also partaking in the trend. Romero’s 12-year-old friend was rushed to hospital after also attempting the challenge. They had boarded at the Flushing Main St. station, and were running on the top of the moving subway as it headed west, jumping between train cars, according to ABC news reports. When the train came to a stop, they lost their balance and fell between the carriages. Last month, 11-year-old Cayden Thompson was also killed while riding on top of a G train in Brooklyn after being struck by a low metal beam. In total, six people have died in 2024 in subway surfing incidents, according to Gothamist.

While subway surfing has been around since the 1980s, it has seen a recent spike among young teens thought to be influenced by the mobile game where characters collect coins while running on top of moving trains. In 2023, there were four further fatalities linked to subway surfing, compared to five total fatalities between 2018 and 2022, the Metropolitan Transit Authority reported. MTA said the number of reports of kids subway surfing quadrupled since 2021 from 206 to 928, with over 10,000 videos and photos related to the trend taken down from social media.

To try and combat the dangerous trend, NYPD Transit Bureau Chief Joseph Gulotta stated that the city is implementing drones to safeguard the issue. “We have a drone program that is on that J line, on that 7 line, where [we] predominantly see it,” Gulotta told ABC. “We’re hitting social media hard. We’re putting out videos with parents. We’re showing the effects that this has on it.”

Following the recent death of Krystel Romero, Mayor Eric Adams took to X to comment on the trend. “Heartbroken to hear that subway surfing—and the pursuit of social media clout—has stolen another life,” Adams wrote. “We are doing everything we can to raise awareness against this dangerous trend, but we need all New Yorkers—and our social media companies to do their part, too. No post is worth your future.”