The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) unveiled a new comprehensive, multi-channel public information campaign against subway surfing in partnership with the New York Police Department (NYPD), New York City (NYC) Public Schools and the NYC Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD). The new campaign, “Subway Surfing Kills – Ride Inside, Stay Alive,” centers around and is designed and spoken by NYC teenagers – putting the youth voice front and center in a peer-to-peer effort to deter the dangerous behavior among young people.
“The safety of New Yorkers is my top priority,” said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. “Through this innovative partnership, young New Yorkers will hear directly from their teachers and peers about the extreme danger of subway surfing, saving lives and preventing more tragedies. New York will continue to do everything we can to keep our young people safe on the subways.”
“Each subway surfing death tragically strips young New Yorkers of promising futures. We cannot endure another tragedy on our trains. That’s why we are partnering with the MTA on an innovative campaign to raise awareness and we have recruited true social media experts to help lead it: Young New Yorkers,” said New York Mayor Eric Adams. “Our young people know best how to reach their peers and they want to help keep their friends safe. We will make sure that every young New Yorker understands: ‘Subway Surfing Kills – Ride Inside, Stay Alive’.”
The NYPD is contributing to the campaign by deploying officers to stations on outdoor elevated lines and by conducting home visits with youths who have been observed riding outside of trains.
The campaign announcement was made outside the 33 St.–Rawson St. 7 subway station – the site of a tragic incident on June 29 in which a 14-year-old from Brooklyn died after falling while attempting to ride on top a 7 train. The 7 line experiences the most subway surfing incidents in the transit system.
“Riding outside a train car is subway stupidity and never ends well. We are begging parents to speak with their children and teachers to talk to their students about what can seem like a game but can end in tragedy. I want to thank Gov. Hochul, Mayor Adams and our city agency partners for their strong support in raising awareness about the dangers of this so that we can prevent any more young lives being senselessly lost,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber.
“The goal of this campaign is to remind members of the public, especially young people, that riding on top of subway cars is reckless, dumb and dangerous, frequently leading to tragedy for the person involved and their loved ones. There is no doubt the work of the MTA, Gov. Hochul, Mayor Adams and these students will save lives,” said NYC Transit President Richard Davey.
MTA data shows dangerous riding outside of subway trains occurs predominantly in the afternoons during warmer months when school is in session, indicating that it has essentially become a dangerous form of after-school activity. In anticipation of an uptick in incidents in September upon the start of the new school year. The campaign includes:
- Public service announcements in stations recorded by students.
- Digital signage across stations.
- Student-created graphics and animations.
- Posters and banners across stations and distributed in schools.
- Physical palm cards distributed at schools and in stations.
- School swag, including planners, pens and pencils, notepads and sticky notes.
- Social media posts across platforms, including TikTok, Instagram and YouTube in the form of posts, reels/shorts and influencer collaborations.
- Distribution of new student MetroCards accompanied by a “Ride Inside, Stay Alive” palm card and anti-surfing messages on the back of some MetroCards for sale in station MetroCard vending machines.
The MTA partnered with NYC Public Schools and DYCD to identify students from schools across the city who created the new campaign. Students from the High School of Art & Design in Manhattan created graphics, animations and artwork that will be seen throughout the subway system and on social media.
A group of middle school and high school students from the Academy of American Studies in Queens, the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan, I.S. 318 in Brooklyn, and DYCD summer programs went to MTA headquarters last month to record announcements, explaining the dangers of riding outside of trains. Eight announcements, recorded in both English and Spanish, will be heard throughout the transit system.
Because teenagers frequently post videos of themselves surfing to social media, the MTA has been asking that social media companies, including Meta, Google and TikTok, reduce access to these videos. Since this past spring, the social media companies have removed more than 3,000 videos and photos showing subway surfing. Those companies also are making space on their platforms available to help distribute the new messaging campaign.
In 2023, there have been five fatalities due to suspected subway surfing, compared to five total fatalities between 2018 and 2022. The MTA has documented more than 450 instances of people riding outside of trains between January and June in 2023.
