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The MTA boss called out parents to “take control” of the deadly subway surfing trend – as he revealed kids are attempting boneheaded “Spider-Man” stunts and acrobatics on top of trains.
Six people have tragically died from subway surfing, while related-arrests have soared to 181 this year — up from 118 in 2023, according to NYPD data.
But MTA CEO Janno Leiber touted the agency was the “most active on the issue” and pointed the finger at parents to take some responsibility during a Monday press briefing.
“We beg the parents, beg them, to take control of what’s going on, to make sure the kids don’t engage in this,” he said.
The MTA has made some efforts to combat the foolhardy activity, with initiatives like one launched last year in which subway announcements voiced by New York City students urge passengers to “ride inside” to “stay alive.”
But officials are struggling for long-term answers as the problem seems to only get worse.
The MTA has often noted it pushes social media companies to remove subway surfing videos as their viral nature is blamed for a surge in popularity — although recently an agency spokesperson told The Post they couldn’t say how many clips have actually been taken down.
Lieber said reoffending criminals are also to blame as he described a 20-something man taking a 13-year-old on a “subway surfing outing” on the A train over the weekend as an example.
“He’s the same guy who moved the train in one of our yards a while back. He’s a chronic subway transit offender. So we got to deal with the recidivism issue,” he said.
In a eye-opening oversight hearing with lawmakers on Monday newly-minted Transit Bureau Chief Joseph Gulotta also revealed that kids aren’t just standing on top of moving trains.
“If you watch some of these drone footages, you’ll have 13, 14, kids up on that thing, and they’re doing acrobats. They’re jumping around,” he said.
The evidence was picked up by surveillance teams using drones, which is part of the NYPD’s ramped up enforcement to monitor stations popular with subway surfers.
Gulotta said offenders are often looking for scenic backdrops that will help their content go viral — making the 7 train, which runs above ground in Queens with the backdrop of the city, a hotbed of activity.
“Spider-Man’s on the 7 line, riding that train. So, that’s where we want to get through… those schools along the seven line,” he added pointing to a scene featured in the film “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”
Norma Nazario, whose 15-year-old son Zackery died in 2023 while subway surfing, blasted the MTA during a tear-filled testimony to lawmakers.
“Even though the MTA pushes initiatives to tell kids not to subway surf, young people have complete access to unlocked doors and other access points without alarms or other systems to keep them out,” Nazario said.
Nazario — who previously called the MTA “full of s–t” and blamed social media for the death of her son — added that there its on the transport authority to make right this wrong.
City Council Majority Whip Selvena Brooks-Powers, chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, said structural solutions were needed.
“I think we can agree that inaction is not going to be the answer that we’re looking for,” Brooks-Powers said.
Lieber said he couldn’t discuss specifics of any structural solutions under consideration due to pending litgation.
Another MTA official — Franck Joseph — argued to lawmakers that there isn’t a “one stop fix” for the close to 7,000 fleet of trains running through NYC.
“We have to also take into account not just the safety of our riders, but also the safety of our employees who maintain the subway cars, and also understanding that whatever solutions that we come up with, there are multiple car classes,” said Joseph, chief of staff and organizational strategy.
The hearing comes after a succession of tragic subway deaths, including an October mishap where two teen girls fell from a southbound 7 train rolling into the 111th Street station in Queens.
Krystal Romero, 13, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Just days earlier, Adolfo Sorzano, 13, was killed subway on a train headed into the the Forest Avenue station in Queens.
