Explore Open Positions at the Office of the Public Advocate

At a City Council hearing on efforts to address the dangers of subway surfing, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams called for a multi-faceted approach to prevention, one that centers youth engagement and does not rely solely on law enforcement. Subway surfing, which can lead to injury or death, has surged in popularity among young people as a result of social media trends.

“I often ask myself, would I listen to me as a young person? I’m not sure I have the full answer to that,” noted Public Advocate Williams, reflecting on the issue. “Although I never subway surfed, I did hang on to the train on the tracks, which was dangerous enough. And that was before platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, promoting videos of subway surfing. It’s just one of the many dangerous viral challenges that are proliferated on social media.”

This year there have been six deaths as a result of subway surfing, along with 181 arrests – with a 46% spike in arrests among young people. The Public Advocate stressed that while PSAs may have limited impact, enforcement cannot be the only tool used.

“I appreciate that the NYPD has a multifaceted approach here but I am concerned about the increased arrest of young people, especially when we consider many subway surfers are young enough to be in elementary or middle school,” he argued. “We know that children don’t have the same ability as adults to fully understand potential consequences of their actions. We also know that simply arrest and punishment don’t always have the deterrent effect on  individuals, particularly other population members who see the individual get arrested, it doesn't always change their behavior, which is what we actually want… So it is clear we must try additional ways to combat subway surfing.”

Among the other potential measures the Public Advocate proposed were infrastructure changes to make it physically harder to get on top of trains and community-level youth engagement, including in schools. 

Read the Public Advocate’s full statement as delivered below.  

STATEMENT OF PUBLIC ADVOCATE JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS

TO THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEES ON EDUCATION, CHILDREN AND YOUTH, PUBLIC SAFETY, AND TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

NOVEMBER 18, 2024

Good morning,

My name is Jumaane D. Williams and I am the Public Advocate for the City of New York. Thank you Chairs Joseph, Stevens, Salaam, and Brooks-Powers and the Committee members for holding this hearing.

As was mentioned, this year alone, we lost six lives to subway surfing and even more have suffered injuries. This decades-old dangerous trend has surged in popularity in part due to social media. Though the city and the state have launched multiple strategies to prevent subway surfing, this behavior persists. I often ask myself, would I listen to me as a young person? I’m not sure I have the full answer to that. Although I never subway surfed, I did hang on to the train on the tracks, which was dangerous enough. And that was before platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, promoting videos of subway surfing. It’s just one of the many dangerous viral challenges that are proliferated on social media. 

Some attorneys general and families of victims have resorted to suing social media, rightfully so, for spreading dangerous trends. The city, state, and MTA have worked with these platforms to take down videos of subway surfing and spread the city’s “Ride Inside, Stay Alive” public service announcement campaign as seen on screens and posters, and heard via announcements throughout subway stations. I am happy that we’re trying to do something. 

I do know some experts say that the impact of PSAs alone are minimal on young people, who are more susceptible to peer pressure and less able to assess risks. Young people should be directed to an alternative exciting activity in addition to warning them against subway surfing—as Kevin Dahill-Fuchel, executive director of Counseling in Schools, said to Chalkbeat, “‘Just say no’ doesn’t work so much because you’re not saying what to say ‘yes’ to.” So far there’s been 181 arrests related to subway surfing this year, with arrests for young people spiking 46 percent. Police found that 25% of those arrested were arrested more than once, indicating that arresting people is not necessarily efficient and effective as a deterrent. 

The NYPD announced that, over the past year, they’ve deployed drones to combat subway surfing. They reported that 900 drones have saved an impressive 114 lives. What we don’t know and should get more information about is exactly where and how the drones are being used and what happens after a drone spots a subway surfer. It is important to pair transparency with the increased use of surveillance technology, especially considering the NYPD’s concerning history of surveilling New Yorkers. The NYPD needs to inform this body about what happens after a subway surfer is spotted, and how many subway surfing arrests involve the use of drones. I appreciate that the NYPD has a multifaceted approach here but I am concerned about the increased arrest of young people, especially when we consider many subway surfers are young enough to be in elementary or middle school.

We know that children don’t have the same ability as adults to fully understand potential consequences of their actions. We also know that simply arrest and punishment don’t always have the deterrent effect on individuals, particularly other population members who see the individual get arrested, it doesn't always change their behavior, which is what we actually want, and that’s just for adults and so it's probably a little less when it comes to young people. So it is clear we must try additional ways to combat subway surfing. We can make infrastructure investments that will make it physically harder to get on top of trains, like the open gangway trains currently running on the C line.

We must engage people at the community level, and young people, get their feedback as well,  who know the needs of their neighborhoods best and can recommend interventions specific to their communities. I do want to say whenever we have a problem like this, and we can’t figure it out, it often unfairly goes to the NYPD. So I’m glad to see that there are many agencies here today trying to work with everyone to figure this out. Hopefully the agencies that deal directly with young people are speaking directly with young people to try to get the information.  Sometimes kids need to hear from their peers. Schools are already engaging students in peer-to-peer messaging about the dangers of subway surfing, which should be happening in every school with students old enough to ride the subway by themselves. We must continue to expand resources for youth, including mental health treatment and safe, engaging after-school programs. I want to congratulate the council for holding a hearing on this important topic today and please add my name to all the Resos, thank you.

Thank you.