Teen Dies Subway Surfing in New York in Tragic Accident
The authorities have identified 14-year-old Alam Reyes as the teenager who tragically died while “surfing” on the New York Subway last Friday. This dangerous practice, apparently encouraged through social media challenges, has led to a number of similar incidents in recent years.
His half-brother Diego Tinoco shared with Daily News that after the death of Reyes, their family in Queens checked his social media accounts and found that he was following people who were engaging in this dangerous trend. Tinoco emphasized that many children are participating in subway surfing solely for the purpose of gaining attention on social networks.
Tinoco also urged other parents to do more research on their children’s social media activity, as he believes this could help prevent similar tragedies in the future.
The incident took place when Reyes was traveling on the roof of an F train bound for Coney Island in Brooklyn with a friend. He fell around 2:20 p.m., and despite the efforts of paramedics who responded to the station where the accident occurred, Reyes was pronounced dead on the scene.
Reyes had ditched school on the day of the incident, and his brother believes he was influenced by the wrong group of friends.
The tragedy comes at a time when the authorities are still trying to crack down on subway surfing. Last year, the MTA and the mayor’s office launched a campaign to discourage young people from participating in this dangerous trend. The New York police have even deployed drones to catch surfers in the act. Additionally, there has been an increase in incidents of people riding outside train cars, known as ‘surfing,’ on the Subway, leading to a record 928 people being caught engaging in this activity in 2022.
Subway surfing continues to be a concerning trend, as efforts to discourage it have fallen short. The deaths of teenagers like Reyes and 15-year-old Zackery Nazario, who died in a similar incident last year, highlight the dangers of this practice and the role that social media plays in promoting it.
The tragedy has renewed calls for social media companies to take action and remove videos of subway surfing in order to help prevent further incidents. Mayor Eric Adams has also reiterated the need for a collective effort to address this issue and prevent further tragedies.