13-Year-Old Dies, Another Girl Critically Injured After Attempting to Ride Top of N.Y.C. Subway

Mar. 15, 2025

A 13-year-old girl was killed and a 12-year-old female was injured following an apparent subway surfing incident in Queens, New York.

NYPD identified the 13-year-old who was killed as Krystel Romero of Brooklyn, New York.

According to police, the two girls were apparently surfing on a subway train,NBC affiliate WNBC,Fox affiliate WNYW,ABC affiliate WABCand local stationWPIXreported.

The NYPD said that the investigation is ongoing.

“We didn’t hear commotion, but it came to an abrupt stop,” a commuter said, according to WPIX. “Then the lights went off and we were in there for about five minutes with the lights off… then we were told to leave the train.”

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Lieber later added: “Listen, this is not like a video game. You don’t get another chance; you can’t just reboot. This is one chance – if you do something stupid, you’re going to lose your life. Please – parents, teachers, other caregivers – make sure kids understand this is not a game. They cannot take chances with their lives.”

In a Monday, Oct. 28X (formerly Twitter) post, New York City Mayor Eric Adams responded to the tragedy, writing: “Heartbroken to hear that subway surfing — and the pursuit of social media clout — has stolen another life.”

“We are doing everything we can to raise awareness against this dangerous trend, but we need all New Yorkers — and our social media companies — to do their part, too. No post is worth your future,” he continued.

“My prayers are with the families of both girls,” Adams concluded.

According toGothamist, the Oct. 27 incident marks the sixth fatality linked to subway surfing in the New York City transit system this year.

“I see it in the morning and after school. I get out of work around 4 or 5 p.m., and sometimes the trains end up stopping because they have to stop because of the subway surfing,” a rider recently toldCBS affiliate WCBS.

The MTA said on itswebsitethere were four subway-surfing-related fatalities last year, adding that it had teamed up with the NYPD and New York City students on a campaign to discourage people from the dangerous activity through such efforts as public service announcements and social media posts.

“The goal of the campaign is to remind members of the public, especially young people, that riding on top of subway cars is reckless and dangerous, frequently leading to tragedy for the person involved and their loved ones,’ the agency said.

source: people.com