1 girl killed, another critically injured subway surfing in Queens, sources say
NEW YORK -- One girl was killed and another was critically injured while subway surfing late Sunday night in Queens, police sources say.
The NYPD said the victims were subway surfing when they fell between the tracks and were struck by a southbound 7 train just before 11 p.m. Sunday near the 111th Street station in Corona, Queens.
One girl was found under the train and did not survive. The other was in front of it, and she was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital with a fractured skull, unable to breathe on her own.
Troubling subway surfing trend
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has made a push to run public service announcements online and in stations, but incidents continue to rise.
Sunday night's death marks the sixth fatality so far this year. Authorities say the 7 line is the most popular because of its elevated outdoor tracks, so police are using drones to monitor the area.
"I see it in the morning and after school. I get out of work around 4 or 5, and sometimes the trains end up stopping, because they have to stop because of the subway surfing," one rider said Monday.
"You see that a lot around 8 at night. Last week, at 8 in the morning, there were like three teenagers," said another rider.
"It's not worth your life"
Just last Wednesday, 13-year-old Adolfo Samabria died while subway surfing at the Forest Avenue station in Queens. His loved ones said he celebrated his birthday just days before.
One friend called him a "ray of sunshine," adding, "he had a long life to live."
Last month, 11-year-old Cayden Thompson died while subway surfing on the G train. His grief-stricken uncle, a teenager himself, vowed to never try the trend again.
"I got hooked on it. I'd seen videos online, decided to do it," said 15-year-old Christian Vega. "It's really easy to get hooked onto that stuff, because once you do it, nothing's ever gonna top it off, like that adrenaline rush you get."
"Other kids who are thinking of going into subway surfing and other kids who still do, just stop doing it. It's not worth your life," he added.
The city has also called on social media companies to do more to remove the dangerous videos.