Overview

• Police discovered the victims on the roof of the last car at Marcy Avenue shortly after 3 a.m. Saturday and pronounced them dead at the scene after the train crossed the Williamsburg Bridge.
• Authorities say the deaths appear tied to subway surfing; the teens have not been publicly identified and their ages have not been released.
• NYC Transit chief Demetrius Crichlow called the loss a tragedy and urged parents and schools to warn young people that riding outside trains is deadly.
• Officials cite rising fatalities in recent years, including an NBC review of 18 deaths in 2023–2024 and at least three reported by NYPD in 2025 before this incident.
• Countermeasures include NYPD drone patrols, MTA efforts with social platforms to remove videos, and MTA tests of rubber tube devices between cars to deter roof access, while litigation over a 2023 death targeting TikTok and Meta continues.