The city on Tuesday launched a public information campaign to combat subway surfing among teenagers before the start of the new school year. 

The NYPD said five teenagers died while subway surfing within the past 12 months, compared with five total fatalities between 2018 and 2022. 

What You Need To Know

  • The city on Tuesday launched a public information campaign to combat subway surfing among teenagers

  • The NYPD said five teenagers died while subway surfing within the past 12 months, compared with five total fatalities between 2018 and 2022. 

  • The initiative — “Subway surfing kills. Ride inside, stay alive” — was developed with the help of recent New York City high school graduates
  •  The NYPD will also deploy officers to stations with outdoor elevated lines and conduct home visits with teens who have been seen riding outside of trains

“These are young New Yorkers with promising futures whose lives have been tragically cut short because of just a prank,” Mayor Eric Adams said during a news conference Tuesday morning.

The stunt has gained a disturbing amount of popularity by way of social media in recent years. 

“We’ve all seen the videos posted on social media too many times, followed by headlines announcing that yet another young person has lost their life while riding outside of a subway car,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said at the news conference. “That’s where this new campaign comes in.”

The initiative — “Subway surfing kills. Ride inside, stay alive” — was developed with the help of recent New York City high school graduates, according to the city. Starting in early July, the five graduates began creating graphics, animations, and messaging for trains stations, and schools that address subway surfing along with calls to action. 

Dubbed the “Subway Squad,” they also developed digital posters, animatics, voice announcements and social media strategies for the campaign. 

Lieber said social media giants such as Meta and Tik Tok have recently started taking more stringent action on subway surfing content on their platforms.

“In the short time that we’ve been working together, we’ve already seen them take down 2,600 videos and photos  — that’s amazing work and I have to give credit and kudos to each of these companies,” Lieber said. 

Meanwhile, the NYPD will also deploy officers to stations with outdoor elevated lines and conduct home visits with teens who have been seen riding outside of trains, officials said. 

The MTA said it has documented more than 450 instances of people riding outside of trains between January and June 2023.

Editor's Note: This story was updated after the NYPD clarified the time frame during which the five teens died while subway surfing.