The teens reportedly rode on the roof of a New York City subway train as it crossed the Williamsburg Bridge
Credit: Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- A 14-year-old boy is dead and another teenager is in critical condition after they “subway surfed” on the J train in New York City on May 22
- The younger boy died at the scene, while an 18-year-old was transported to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition
- The 14-year-old fell from the top of the J train as it crossed the Williamsburg Bridge into Manhattan
A 14-year-old boy is dead and another teenager is in critical condition after they "subway surfed" on a train in New York City on May 22.
The teens were reportedly engaged in "subway surfing," in which they rode on the roof of the New York City subway's J train as it crossed the Williamsburg Bridge into Manhattan, according to ABC News, which cited the NYPD.
Police were called to the scene near the intersection of Lewis Street and Delancey Street at around 5 p.m. local time on Friday, May 22, the NYPD confirmed to PEOPLE in a statement.
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When officers arrived, they observed an 18-year-old male and a 14-year-old male who were "unconscious and unresponsive," with "injuries indicative of falling from an elevated position," according to the NYPD's statement. Both were transported to local hospitals, where the 14-year-old was pronounced deceased by hospital staff. The 18-year-old remains hospitalized in "critical condition," per the NYPD.
"Tonight, two young New Yorkers fell while subway surfing on a Brooklyn-bound J train near the Williamsburg Bridge," New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote in a statement on X. "One teenager is dead. Another is fighting for his life."
The identity of the deceased 14-year-old has not been made public pending "proper family notification," the NYPD said.
"This is a preventable tragedy," Mamdani's statement continued. "No family should get a phone call like that. Subway surfing is deadly. My heart breaks for the families of these young people."
“This is heartbreaking and knowing that riding outside trains is going to end tragically, it's incomprehensible-and pains me as a parent-that it continues to happen," New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said in a statement, per Spectrum News 1.
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“I'm imploring families, friends, teachers, and others coming into contact with teens engaging in these suicidal stunts to get them to stop,” Crichlow added.
An NYPD spokesperson told PEOPLE that no arrests have been made in the incident, and an investigation is ongoing.
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