Queens’ 7 train is epicenter of deadly subway surfing trend
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The Queens 7 train is overwhelmingly the route of choice for teens trying to do the dangerous and often deadly stunt known as subway surfing, which has killed at least six people this year. File photo by Tim Adams/Wikimedia Commons
By Ryan Schwach
The 7 train in Queens is one of the most iconic subway routes in the city, known for its views, destinations and the diversity of neighborhoods it traverses. However, the line is also now known for a darker reason.
During a City Council hearing on Monday, city officials said the 7 train is the “overwhelming” epicenter for incidents of subway surfing, a dangerous practice which has resulted in six deaths citywide this year.
In October, a young teen was hurt and another one was killed while trying to subway surf, or ride on top of a 7 train in Corona. The death was the latest in what city officials claim is a growing and deadly trend, fueled by social media and practiced almost exclusively by children and teens.
“That 7 line in Queens is an elevated line that is the overwhelming location where we're experiencing subway surfing,” said the MTA’s security chief, Michael Kemper.
Kemper, the former NYPD chief of transit, said that 7 train’s scenery and a large elevated section contribute to it being a desired subway surfing location.
“It's relatively flat, it's extremely scenic, and this all fits into what's driving subway surfing,” he said. “What is fueling subway surfing in large part is social media and putting it up on social media. So that backdrop on the 7 line brings a lot.”
The 7 line, often called the international express, runs above ground for the majority of its route as it makes its way through Corona, Jackson Heights and Flushing.
MTA and NYPD officials said at the hearing that the majority of subway surfing reports they get come along the 7 line.
Neither agency provided the Eagle with specific data on the 7 train or Queens-wide incidents of subway surfing when requested.
In October, a 13-year-old girl was killed when she fell between the cars while subway surfing at the 111th Street subway station in Corona.
In May, a 14-year-old boy was severely injured when he fell off a train he was riding in Corona at the 103rd Street station.
The deaths on the line date back years. In 2019, a 14-year-old was killed while subway surfing on a 7 line train as it entered Queensboro Plaza.
While subway surfing has been around for decades, social media has contributed to making the dangerous act even more common on the subways, according to city officials.
“Years ago, you would subway surf, depending on how many people you went by that saw you, 50 people, 100 people,” Kemper said. “[Now,] you put the right video on the right social media platform and it's being seen by millions.”
Imitation is also a key factor, with kids trying to one-up each other and copy what they see both other teens doing on social media platforms and what they see in the movies, officials claim.
“If you watch “Spider Man: Homecoming” at the end of that movie, Spiderman is on the 7 line, riding that train,” said NYPD Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta.
The majority of the hearing, held jointly by the Committees Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Public Safety, Education and Children and Youth, was focused on what kind of outreach and work the MTA and NYPD are doing to inform New York’s kids about the dangers of subway surfing.
The MTA said the average age of subway surfers is 14, but some surfers have been as young as 9-years-old.
In September, the city began the “Subway Surfing Kills – Ride Inside, Stay Alive" campaign as a targeted response to the increase in incidents.
The program developed a student-created campaign, as well as outreach to schools, students, and superintendents.
“We continue to collaborate with the Department of Youth and Community Development, to hold youth focus groups, to hear directly from students about how best to spread this important message on the dangers of subway surfing, and to better understand some of the drivers for this behavior,” said Department of Education Security Director Mark Rampersant. “We acknowledge that there is still a lot of work to be done, and we are committed to continuing our efforts to educate our students and our school communities about the dangers of subway surfing.”
Along the 7 line in particular, Gulotta said that the NYPD has identified specific schools in the area that the department wants to target for programming and outreach on the dangers of subway surfing
“We want to get through schools along the 7 line, that's the focus,” the chief said. “That's where we see most of our calls. That's where most of our repeat offenders come from, that I've identified with [Rampersant] that we're going to really look to make sure we concentrate on.”
For local councilmembers, it's a close to home issue.
“I think this issue needs to be taken seriously by every agency in city government,” Jackson Heights Councilmember Shekar Krishnan told the Eagle. “I say that not only as a councilmember, but also as a parent of two small children too that is just deeply upset and disturbed every time I read a story about teenagers who have gotten hurt or killed because of subway surfing.”
“The problem is especially troubling and acute on the 7 train line, and I've heard and seen and read a number of reports of subway surfing on the 7 train,” he added. “It's an extremely serious issue, and I am very concerned about it.”
Krishnan, calling the Eagle from the subway train, stressed the need to get through to local kids and teens, particularly surrounding social media.
“We have to really find ways to reach our youth, teenagers, in particular, their parents, and other ways to make sure the message is effectively communicated,” he said. “I think we also have to look at social media and find a way to effectively address this issue with social media, with the access that teens have to social media and how damaging it can be.”
While he said he thought the responses from the city agencies on Monday pointed to progress, he also said he believed the city needs to do more.
“I think these are good steps forward, but we also need to find even more ways to address this in a much more comprehensive way,” he said.
