A 13-year-old girl died and a 12-year-old was hurt when they both fell off a 7-train in Queens on Sunday night while subway surfing.
At the Corona 111th Street station just before 11 p.m., the girls fell between cars while they were on top of the train.
Police say they got on at the Flushing Main St. station and were running on top of the moving subway as it went west, jumping from car to car.
The girls tripped when the train stopped. Someone died when they fell under the train.
The other person got hit in the head and is in critical condition at Elmhurst Hospital with an oxygen mask on.
This is the sixth death for someone who was subway surfing this year. A 13-year-old boy died last week when he fell while subway surfing at the Forest Avenue station in Queens.
Last year, five people were killed while riding the subway.
Even though the most recent death happened less than 12 hours after the accident, witnesses said they saw other teens doing the same thing in the same spot, and there were no police around to stop them.
Commanders of the police say that enforcement has been stepped up. Along some elevated lines that subway surfers like to use, surveillance teams are using drones.
The new transit chief for the NYPD told MTA board members that the department is determined to stop it.
“We have a drone program on that J line and that 7 line, which is where most people see it,” said Joseph Gulotta, chief of the NYPD Transit Bureau.
“We are making a big splash on social media. Parental videos are coming out. “This is what we are showing how it changes.”
Along with better enforcement, some MTA board members want the agency to do a better job of reaching out to people.
“At this point in your life, you feel like nothing bad can happen and that every adventure will end happily.
They need people they respect and trust in their life to tell them, ‘No, this is not the way.'” David Jones, a member of the MTA board, said, “There are other ways to prove yourself.”
When Mayor Eric Adams heard about the latest death, he was very sad.
“Heartbroken to hear that subway surfing – and the pursuit of social media clout – has stolen another life,” said Adams.
“We are doing everything we can to get people to know about this dangerous trend, but everyone in New York and our social media companies need to do their part too.” There is no job worth your time. My thoughts and prayers are with the girls’ families.
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