CORRECTION (August 15, 2023): A previous version of this story incorrectly reported the number of subway surfing-related deaths, according to the MTA.
A teenage boy has died after reportedly subway surfing in Queens, and the death comes exactly one week after a boy of the same age died participating in the trend in Brooklyn.
Police say a 14-year-old boy died Thursday evening after falling from a train near Queensboro Plaza around 5:30 p.m. The boy's identity was not released, and it wasn't clear if he was with anyone else at the time.
His death follows that of another 14-year-old boy, Bryan Crespo, who died after falling from a Manhattan bound L train on June 22. Crespo's friend also fell and suffered serious injuries.
The death marked the fourth related to the subway surfing trend of the year as of July 5, that's according to the MTA.
Mayor Eric Adams held a press conference after the Brooklyn incident in which he made demands for TikTok to take down videos that show kids subway surfing. He has said those videos have gained millions of views.
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In a statement, a spokesperson for TikTok extended their deepest condolences while also noting that the trend of subway surfing "predates our platform."
"Our deepest sympathies go out to family and friends of the young person 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 safety professionals are dedicated to keeping our community safe and work diligently to remove harmful content when found."
