Teenagers subway surfing struck by L train in Brooklyn, 1 killed
NEW YORK -- Police say a dangerous trend called "subway surfing" is to blame for the death of one 14-year-old and critical injuries suffered by another 14-year-old on Thursday in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
Mayor Eric Adams is now urging social media sites to ban those types of videos in order to save lives.
The Bushwick-Aberdeen train station was closed off during the afternoon after police say the teens were knocked off a subway train when it entered a tunnel between stops.
"Both were found underneath an northbound L train which is Manhattan bound," NYPD Chief of Transportation Michael Kemper said.
READ MORE: TikTok to blame for teens injured, killed in Brooklyn subway surfing incident, Mayor Adams says
Maya Perez said her friend, Brian, lost his life. She arrived at the station hours later to pay her respects to her dear friend.
"He was a sweet kid, very funny," Perez said through tears.
Her emotions were fresh as she remembered her friend as fun, vibrant, and always laughing.
"Hearing him pass away really does affect me me because I knew him very well," Perez said.
At the scene of the tragedy, the mayor issued a stern warning.
"Subway surfing kills," Adams said.
He addressed the dangers of the trend, where videos are posted on popular social media sites, commonly by adolescents.
"The consequences of social media and other addictive online content are tragic and real. Those who host these platforms and benefit financially and make profit off of public safety and death must be held responsible," Adams said.
READ MORE: New York City to launch PSA campaign warning against subway surfing
The mayor said subway surfing incidents increased by a whopping 366% between 2021 and 2022.
"Our deepest sympathies go out to family and friends of the young person involved in this incident. This dangerous activity predates our platform, and we strictly remove such content if we see it on TikTok," a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement. "More than 40,000 safety professionals are dedicated to keeping our community safe and work diligently to remove harmful content when found."
A young life was taken because of a fatal decision.
"I hope these kids learn from this. They gotta stop doing stuff like this," one witness said.
"It's crazy because I didn't think he would do such a thing. He was a smart kid," Perez said.
Police say the 14-year-old who survived is fighting for his life at Cohen Children's Medical Center.