A 14-year-old boy was hospitalized after hitting his head while subway surfing in Queens, New York, on Sunday.
The boy, whose identity has not yet been released, was riding on the roof of a southbound No. 7 train, the New York Post reports. reportAccording to a statement from the New York Police Department (NYPD), the boy was surfing on the roof of the train when he hit his head on a beam as the train arrived at 111th Street station around 4:30 p.m.
The boy was rushed to a local hospital and is in stable condition, according to the media.
The Corona station where the incident occurred is at ground level and has an overhang across the tracks that leaves about a foot of space between the roof and beams of a passing train, the New York Post noted.
The media outlet noted that there have been a series of subway surfing incidents on social media platforms. (Related: New York subway surfing victim reported).
14-year-old subway surfer rushed to hospital after hitting head in New York station https://t.co/d6mSwR3fTC pic.twitter.com/tz1rTXsDJ1
— New York Post (@nypost) June 10, 2024
In January, a 14-year-old boy died while subway surfing in Brooklyn. according to New York Daily News: Aram Reyes was riding an F train to Coney Island with a friend when he fell off the train. The friend continued on to the next station, then returned to the same spot where he had fallen.
Reyes was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the media.
Starting in November 2023, the New York Police Department will begin deploying drones to capture young people surfing the internet on the subway. according to ABC7. Authorities say the drones will be used to aid in arrests and hopefully deter teens from taking part in daredevil acts.
Using a drone, police will write a report on the incident but rather than logging the perpetrator into the system, the video will be shown to the boy’s parents and school, ABC7 reported.
“If a passenger is getting off the subway and the conductor hits the brakes a little too hard, the passenger can lose their balance, slip and be crushed by the train,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry told ABC7.
