Caught On Video: Kids Play Chicken With NYC Subway
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - The proliferation of cell phone cameras has resulted in many incidents underground being caught on video that might've otherwise escaped notice.
There have been fights over - and with - plates of spaghetti. There have been people having naked meltdowns. There have been people caught on tape licking their shoes clean.
This time, however, a video has emerged on YouTube that depicts what appears to be kids playing a game of chicken - with a subway.
The incident appears to have taken place at the Kingston Avenue #3 subway stop.
At least five young kids leap into the subway tracks as an oncoming trains bears down on them. Passers-by can be heard hollering at the kids to get out of the tracks.
The kids, one by one, scramble out of the railway. The last one climbs out about 10 seconds before the train arrives.
CBS 2's Cindy Hsu spoke with several shocked riders who couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"That's insane, not enough adult guidance, period. If you teach your children what they're supposed to do the correct way, they'll do that," said Larry Brown.
Rider, Eli Villard was succinct in his assessment of the teens.
"They don't value their lives," he said.
The man who shot the video wished to remain anonymous but said that the kids are putting alot of people at risk.
"Let's say one of the kids couldn't have gotten back onto the platform quick enough and heaven forbid he would have gotten hurt, and the train had to short stop. Someone on the train could have gotten hurt too, or even worse," he said.
Subway rider Jeffrey Harvey told CBS 2 that one of his friends recently asked him to play the game. Harvey declined the invitation.
"One of my friends did it before, I disagree. He asked me if I wanted to jump and I said no," he said.
'Subway Chicken' is hardly the first dangerous game that the MTA has had to deal with. For many years risk-taking riders have engaged in 'Subway Surfing'. They climb onto the sides and tops of cars and ride them.
The MTA told CBS 2 that playing risky games on the subway is one of the most dangerous things that a person can do.
In 2011, 146-people were hit by subway trains, 47 of them died.
Have you ever witnessed someone playing a dangerous game on the subway? Let us know about it in our comments section below...
