It has been six months since the city announced a major crackdown on subway surfing, but officials have been mum on whether their efforts are actually working to deter kids from doing the illegal—and often fatal—activity.
Mayor Eric Adams and then-NYPD Commissioner Tom Donlon on Oct. 31, 2024, said they would use a 911 and drone technology hybrid initiative to track subway surfing, which is the dangerous act of riding on top of a moving train.
As part of the initiative, New Yorkers are urged to call 911 when they see subway surfing in action. Then, police would deploy drones to spot the thrill-seekers before removing and arresting the offenders.
However, Adams and the NYPD have not reported on the results of the initiative, even after multiple children were injured while subway surfing this year — including a 13-year-old boy who fell off a 7 train in Queens while participating in the activity on March 14. The teen was critically injured in the incident and brought to NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst.
amNewYork asked the Adams administration and the NYPD for information about the anti-subway surfing initiative, and is awaiting responses.
Despite the lack of feedback on the drone technology push, the NYPD has reported that in 2024, arrests for subway surfing were up 70% from the previous year, with the average age of those apprehended being 14.
Taking down ‘thousands’ of social media posts
Although subway surfing has existed for decades, it has been undergoing a resurgence lately, possibly due to social media trends that glorify it in posts and videos that many impressionable children see.
In response to the trend, the MTA, along with Adams, launched anti-subway surfing public service announcements on the 7, J, M, and Z lines in 2023. The lines have seen the most cases of subway surfing due to their scenic, outdoor backdrops, which surfers often use in social media posts.
MTA officials said they meet regularly with major social media platforms to review their protocols and algorithms for monitoring media that prompts dangerous behavior in the subway system.
In fact, as a result of the meetings, companies such as Meta, YouTube, and TikTok have removed around 11,000 posts with dangerous content.
Scrubbing posts and videos of subway surfing can only help—never hurt. But still, many New Yorkers report seeing children on top of trains—especially the 7 train—more often than usual this year.
“My office in Long Island City has an eye-level view of the 7 train, and I frequently see kids riding on top of the train,” concerned citizen Christopher Benjamin shared with amNewYork. “At one point, I was seeing it a couple of times a week, usually right around when school gets out. Sometimes it’s one kid, sometimes it’s a group.”
Benjamin shared that he did “stupid things” as a youth, but nothing even close to as risky as subway surfing.
“When we were kids, we used to do some stupid stuff too, but nothing like this,” he said. “This is suicide for views. It’s awful.”
Another commuter from Queens said he saw a group of subway surfers on top of a fast-moving train in Sunnyside about a month ago.
“I recently saw who appeared to be three teens on top of the number 7 train,” he said. “And that train was moving fast!”
‘A sense of excitement for kids’
Behavioral health experts have said that despite the serious dangers, kids are drawn to the “thrill” of subway surfing.
“Kids like to do daredevil stunts,” Nechama Sorscher, Ph.D., a NYC-based specialist in neurocognitive challenges, said. “Part of it is their frontal lobe is not completely developed so they don’t even understand the consequences and can’t really plan ahead. It’s very impulsive.”
Mendi Baron, a licensed clinical social worker, has worked with many teens who participate in dangerous social media trends after seeing posts and videos online.
“These stunts aren’t just risky, they’re deadly,” Baron said. “Videos like this get shared and liked online, making it seem exciting or cool, when in reality, the consequences can be tragic. It’s a sobering reminder of how powerful social media influence can be, especially for teens still figuring out boundaries and risk.”
What can parents do to help stop their kids from following dangerous social media trends?
Being a parent is not easy, and children will often be faced with making their own choices. However, there are ways parents can help stop their kids from participating in dangerous social media trends.
Baron said it is important to understand why kids would subway surf, adding that many are just looking for approval, attention, or a way to feel important.
“It’s not always about being reckless,” he said, as he also recommended parents get to know how social media algorithms work. “It’s often about belonging.”
He also recommended that parents have conversations — not lectures — with their kids, get to know their friends, and stay curious and involved.
“It’s not about having all the answers,” he said. “it’s about staying connected, staying aware, and showing up with empathy and intention.”
