Subway surfing, which is becoming more popular among city youth, is claiming the lives of more and more kids. Recently, this dangerous activity took the lives of two young girls.
According to Wikipedia, Subway surfing, which is also known as train surfing, is “the act of riding on the outside of a moving train, tram, or other form of rail transport vehicle.” This has been around for a while, but it only started getting popular in recent years due to social media.
On October 4th, around 3:00 AM, after responding to a 911 call, officers found two unconscious girls on the roof of the last car of a train, according to The New York Times. The victims were identified as 12-year-old Zemfirma Mukhtarov from Brooklyn and 13-year-old Ebba Morina from Manhattan. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
These two girls, unfortunately, aren’t the first to lose their lives due to this. According to Fortune, “Six people died surfing subway trains in the city last year, up from five in 2023.”
Though traveling on the outside of a train, which goes at very fast speeds, may seem very dangerous to most, there are some thrill-seeking teenagers who think of subway surfing as a hobby.
According to abc7NY, 11-year-old Maryam Mukhtarov, who is Zemfirma Mukhtarov’s sister, said, “It’s just not worth it.” Encouraging other young teens not to partake in subway surfing.
Some of the dangers of subway surfing include being electrocuted by the subway tracks or being crushed between the train and the tunnel. Both of these things can happen very quickly, making the whole experience very dangerous.
According to NBC New York, “The MTA, which operates the subway system, has said it is studying the issue.” People have suggested locking the doors between train cars, which would help prevent people from train surfing, but it would bring its own risks. Locking all cars would prevent people from going to another train in the case of an emergency.
Some other solutions to try and prevent subway or train surfing as much as possible include having cameras and sensors to detect those attempting to subway surf and making trains harder to climb. Though these things would help, they would cost a lot of money, and most people aren’t willing to have their taxes go up for this.
According to amNewYork, “The MTA has employed social media influencers to help spread the message and encourage youths to ride inside- stay alive.”
The MTA, along with encouraging youth to ride inside the subways, is also requesting social media companies to get rid of videos glamorizing subway surfing. According to NBCNewYork, as of 2025, more than 1,800 videos have been taken down.
