Fatal subway surfing incidents across the five boroughs have persisted due to easily obtainable subway keys, MTA radios and an underground, engagement-focused social media community, NYPD officials said on Wednesday.
Since 2023, 76 people were caught carrying transit keys while subway surfing, which can be used to open a train’s back door, NYPD Transit Bureau Chief Joseph Gulotta said. Gulotta and outreach worker Norma Nazario said the trend reflects the wider pattern driving a string of deaths on the city's elevated train lines.
Teens have used the stolen skeleton keys to open locked cab doors and sidewalk hatches that lead into the tunnel system, Nazario said. They’ve been spotted walking the tracks, clinging to the rear exteriors of trains and even attempting to move parked trains.
Tap our link in bio to read more from reporter Charles Lane.
Photo credit: Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images
Instagram
·1h
