NEW YORK — A teenager has died after allegedly surfing the Queens subway, coming exactly one week after a boy the same age died participating in the trend in Brooklyn.
Police said the 14-year-old died Thursday night after falling from a train near Queensboro Plaza around 5:30 p.m. The boy’s identity was not released and it was not clear if he was with anyone else at that time. moment.
His death follows that of another 14-year-old boy, Bryan Crespo, who died after falling off a Manhattan-bound L train on June 22. Crespo’s friend also fell and suffered serious injuries.
This week’s death marks the seventh related to the subway surfing trend so far this year, according to the MTA.
Mayor Eric Adams held a press conference after the Brooklyn incident in which he demanded that TikTok remove videos showing children surfing the subway. He has said that those videos have garnered millions of views.
In a statement, a TikTok spokesperson expressed their deepest condolences, noting that the subway surfing trend “predates our platform.”
“Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the young man involved in this incident,” the TikTok spokesperson said. “This dangerous activity predates our platform and we strictly remove such content if we see it on TikTok. More than 40,000 security professionals are dedicated to keeping our community safe and work diligently to remove harmful content when they find it.”
