MTA gets social media platforms to scrub subway surfing videos
NEW YORK (PIX11) --- The MTA has told several social media platforms to take down the dangerous subway surfing videos, and many have complied, officials said Tuesday.
"We're always checking every day to make sure they do take them down," MTA CEO Janno Lieber said.
Two teens were recently killed subway surfing in New York City, including a 13-year-old boy, Adolfo Sanabria Sorzano, who was doing a TikTok challenge, according to police and the boy's mother.
Milene Sorzano told PIX11 News that she found videos of her son subway surfing on his phone and social media despite warning him against riding on trains.
“My son Adolfo Sanabria Sorzano, only 13 years old, tragically lost his life while he was doing this awful TikTok challenge subway surfing in New York City,” Sorzano wrote on a GoFundMe page raising money for Adolfo’s funeral costs.
A 12-year-old girl was critically injured Sunday while subway surfing on top of the No. 7 train in Queens with her friend, Krystel Romero, 13, who died, police said.
An 11-year-old boy was also killed while subway surfing in Brooklyn last month, sources told PIX11 News.
"The MTA has done so much to push back on this terrible dangerous trend," Lieber said. "It breaks New Yorkers' hearts."
The MTA has spent thousands of hours promoting messages against subway surfing and launched the “Subway Surfing Kills – Ride Inside, Stay Alive” campaign last year.
But that hasn't stopped the uptick in deaths. At least six people have died riding on trains this year, an increase from 2023, according to NYPD data.
"The MTA is going to keep pushing," Lieber said.
PIX11 News could not immediately reach YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram for comment.
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She has been with PIX11 News for two years. See more of her work here.