New Yorkers are plagued by a deadly trend of subway surfing, and while officials continue to warn against the daring stunt, the dangerous game has spread across the country.
A video of two people on top of a Metrorail train in Miami has gone viral, with locals expressing concern that the fatal trend has gained ground in their city.
The Instagram account Only in Dade first posted the video, which showed one person lying face down on the train while another sat cross-legged.
It's unclear how they got on top of the train, but the video showed both “subway surfers” holding on as the train pulled away.
Social media users condemned the dangerous stunt with one commenting: 'So many children have died from this.'
“Looks like a challenge about to go wrong…” another added.
“Subway surfing is not cool,” a third wrote.
Others pointed to the trend that took off in New York City.
“New Yorkers are at it again. THIS IS NOT NYC,” someone warned.
“People in New York did this, they called it surfing and some people got hurt and some people died. This is really dangerous…” another added.
The people in the photo on the Metrorail held their ground as the train left the station
Officials warned that riding on top of the train could be fatal and that those caught doing so would be arrested
The Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation & Public Works warned that riding trains is illegal and that those caught would be arrested.
“Entering the Metrorail Guideway and climbing onto vehicles is not only illegal and may result in arrest and prosecution, but is also extremely dangerous and could result in the death and injury of others,” the agency said in a statement.
'Under no circumstances enter the circuit or climb onto vehicles. Safety is a shared responsibility and we ask all riders to speak up if they see something. Thank you.'
The dangerous trend increased in 2023 and 2024 in New York City after videos of “subway surfers” went viral on social media.
In 2024, six people died attempting the dangerous stunt, while five died in 2023. The death toll in 2023 was equal to the total number of deaths between 2018 and 2022.
The six who died last year were all minors between the ages of 11 and 15. They died while on the A, F, G, M, 6 and 7 trains in Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens.
One of the youths murdered was 11-year-old Cayden Thompson, who hit his head while riding atop the G train in Brooklyn.
His uncle, Christian Vega, 15, also surfed the subway and admitted to CBS News that the adrenaline rush was addictive.
'It's very easy to get addicted to that because once you do it, there's nothing that makes it better, like the adrenaline rush you get. “I can't really put it into words,” he said.
Christian told the outlet he would never subway surf again and begged other kids to stop the stunt. “It's not worth your life,” he said.
The dangerous trend increased in 2023 and 2024 in New York City after videos of 'subway surfers' went viral on social media
A recent viral video showed two people riding the Metrorail in Miami
After 15-year-old Zackery Nazario died while surfing on the subway in 2023, his mother, Norma, sought justice from TikTok and Meta.
She sued the companies along with New York City's transportation agency, the MTA, for failing to address the risk of subway surfing. The Social Media Victims Law Center represented the Nazario family, arguing that the social media companies were responsible for “promoting and profiting” from the viral content.
The group also said the MTA does not lock subway doors to prevent passengers from moving through cars or has safety barriers on the roofs of trains, which does not prevent the risk of damage.
Y'Vonda Maxwell echoed criticism of the MTA after her son Ka'Von died while riding atop a J train.
'I've seen this happening since the '80s. I'm sick of it. I want the MTA to do something about it,” she told the New York Times.
In 2023, the MTA partnered with the students of the NYPD and New York City to promote a campaign that discourages children from riding the subway.
DailyMail.com contacted the Miami Police Department and the Department of Transportation and Public Works for comment.
