A dangerous trend inspired by a popular mobile game Subway Surfers sees young children and teenagers riding trains on top of moving trains—sometimes with deadly results.
On October 23, 13-year-old Adolfo Sanabria Sorzano died after attempting an underground surfing challenge in Queens, New York. Days later, 13-year-old Krystel Romero died after falling from the 7 train while participating in the ritual. Romero’s friend, 12, was rushed to the hospital after attempting the challenge. They had boarded at the Flushing Main St. station, and were running on the subway as it headed west, jumping between train cars, according to ABC news reports. When the train stopped, they lost their footing and fell between the carriages. Last month, 11-year-old Cayden Thompson was also killed while riding on the G train in Brooklyn after being struck by a low beam. In total, six people died in 2024 in surfing incidents, according to The Gothamist.
While rail surfing has been around since the 1980s, it has seen a recent surge among young people thought to be influenced by a mobile game where characters collect coins while running on top of moving trains. In 2023, there were four more surfing-related deaths, compared to five deaths between 2018 and 2022, the Metropolitan Transit Authority reported. The MTA said the number of reports of children surfing on subways has quadrupled since 2021 from 206 to 928, and more than 10,000 videos and photos related to the practice have been removed from social media.
To try to combat the dangerous practice, NYPD Transit Bureau Chief Joseph Gulotta said the city is using drones to prevent this issue. “We have a drone system that’s in that J row, that 7th row, over there [we] especially they see it,” Gulotta told ABC. “We hit a lot on social media. We release videos with parents. We are showing the results this has on it.”
After the recent death of Krystel Romero, Mayor Eric Adams took to X to comment on the trend. “It’s heartbreaking to hear that surfing — and the pursuit of social media popularity — has stolen another life,” Adams wrote. “We’re doing everything we can to raise awareness about this dangerous practice, but we need all New Yorkers—and our social media companies—to do their part as well.” No post is worth your future.”
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