NEW YORK — A teenager was found dead on train tracks in the Bronx after allegedly surfing the subway sometime early Friday, law enforcement sources said.
The 13-year-old has not been identified, but NYPD officials said he was recovered around 9 a.m. near the Middletown Road station.
“These incidents are tragic reminders that riding outside of subway cars is extremely dangerous, not a cheap thrill,” NYC Transit Acting President Demetrius Crichlow said in a statement. “We continue to mount an information campaign that includes teenagers talking to teenagers about the risks of traveling outside of subway cars.”
The city medical examiner will determine the cause of the teen’s death.
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With subway boating incidents on the rise, some of which have led to the deaths of young New Yorkers, state and city officials last year announced a new public campaign aimed at deterring people from this dangerous act.
Part of the “Subway Surfing Kills – Ride Inside, Stay Alive” campaign involves the NYPD deploying officers to stations on elevated lines and making home visits to young people who have been observed riding off trains.
Data shows that subway surfing (the practice of riding outside of subway trains) occurs predominantly during the warmer school months during the afternoons, showing it to be a popular, albeit dangerous, extracurricular activity.
Carolina Ardila has the details.
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