Subway surfer dies after hitting beam, falling from moving train

A teen who police said was subway surfing died after he hit a metal support and fell from the moving train.

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The 15-year-old, whose name was not released, hit a metal beam as the train crossed the Williamsburg Bridge in New York City on Monday evening, WPIX reported.

He fell from the train and the cars ran over him, according to WNBC. He died at the scene, the news station reported.

Subway riders said they saw someone climb onto the train when they were pulling out of the Marcy Avenue station, according to WPIX.

Police said the teen was surfing on the J train, the same train on which another 15-year-old boy fell off in December. When that 15-year-old fell, he made contact with the electrified third rail, which killed him, WNBC reported.

There have been several incidents over the past year where people have been seen subway surfing, some of whom were either injured or killed. A third 15-year-old boy lost an arm after he fell from the R train as it pulled out of the station, WNBC reported in August.

The New York City Police Department called it an “unfortunate trending issue” inspired by social media, WPIX reported.

“Riding on the outside of a subway car is not only illegal but incredibly dangerous. Each year we see riders, many of them teens, killed or seriously injured engaging in so-called subway surfing. We enforce rules prohibiting moving between the train cars in order to combat this dangerous behavior,” a police spokesperson said in a statement to WPIX.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said it had more than 450 reports of subway surfing in 2022, according to WNBC.