Two young girls found dead after fatal ‘Subway Surfing’ game in Brooklyn
(October 5, 2025) In the early hours of Saturday, October 4, 2025, New York City authorities responded to a 911 call at the Marcy Avenue subway station in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. There they discovered two young females, unconscious and unresponsive on top of a subway car. Tragically, the two girls were later declared dead at the scene.
Initial investigations suggest that they were participating in “subway surfing” — a practice in which individuals ride on the exterior of subway trains, often on roofs or clinging to the sides. Authorities have not yet publicly released the names or ages of the deceased, pending family notification The NYPD is actively investigating the horrific deaths.
One report from the Hindustan Times states that: “The two girls, one confirmed to be 13 and the other believed to be between 13 and 15, were killed from head injuries after reportedly striking a low-hanging beam while riding the final car of the Queens-bound train.”
The deaths reportedly occurred atop a J train car stopped at Marcy Avenue, which lies on a route crossing the Williamsburg Bridge from Manhattan. As first responders and investigators worked, J and M service through the Marcy Avenue station was temporarily suspended. Normal service resumed later that morning.
Transit authority officials and workers described being profoundly shaken by the discovery. NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow issued a public statement condemning the practice, calling it “suicide masquerading as surfboarding.”
Crichlow urged parents, educators, and peers to dissuade young people from attempting rides on train exteriors. Meanwhile, the NYPD has reiterated that investigators are exploring all angles, from possible group behavior to social media influences.
“It’s heartbreaking that two young girls are gone because they somehow thought riding outside a subway train was an acceptable game,” Crichlow said. “Parents, teachers and friends need to be clear with loved ones: getting on top of a subway car isn’t “surfing” — it’s suicide.” ~ The Associated Press
Though subway surfing is decades old, the phenomenon has surged in recent years — particularly among youth — aided by social media amplification. The risks are severe and many, and include falling onto train tracks or into tunnels, striking low-hanging structures, electrocution from the third rail, or being thrown off the moving train
According to NYPD and transit data, arrests related to subway surfing have risen sharply over recent years. In 2024 alone, 229 alleged subway surfers were arrested, up from 135 the year prior. In that same period, six people died from subway surfing incidents. Some reporting (e.g. NBC News) places the cumulative toll of subway surfing deaths in 2023–2024 at 18 people, though definitions and reporting practices vary.
This most recent tragedy involving the two girls is particularly notable because many prior victims were boys — often early teens — which suggests the dangerous trend may be getting more popular across gender lines.
Many analysts, advocates, and families of prior victims point to the influence of social media platforms in promoting risky stunts. In one notable case, a judge allowed a wrongful‑death suit to proceed against Meta and TikTok over a teenager’s subway surfing death in 2023, on the grounds that the platforms may have amplified dangerous content to young, impressionable users. ~ Reuters
The horrific deaths of the two young girls in Brooklyn yesterday stand as a tragic reminder of fragile and short life can be – and how a dangerous impulse magnified by social pressures, platform incentives, and youthful risk-taking — can lead to irreversible loss.
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(Additional Sources: CBS News, People)
(Cover photo: IMage credit: YouTube)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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