A teenager died in a tragic accident involving a subway train in New York on Friday. Alam Reyes, 14, was allegedly attempting to subway surf when he fell from the top of the train onto the track below, where another train reportedly struck him. Reyes' death comes amid an awareness campaign by the Manhattan Transit Authority, which is trying to prevent these types of tragedies. Yet thrill-seekers continue to tempt fate.
Authorities hope that Reyes' untimely death will serve as a teaching moment and hopefully prevent others from trying these types of stunts.
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The accident happened in the early afternoon.
Reyes was allegedly trying to subway surf on a Coney Island-bound F-train when he fell onto the tracks around 2:15 p.m. on January 12, PIX 11 reported. According to an earlier report from the news outlet, the train operator saw a body on the tracks and tried to enact the emergency brake system, but it was too late. Reyes died at the scene.
Loved ones were devastated by the news.
The New York Post reported that Reyes was the third son of a single mother who came to the United States from Mexico. She reportedly cleans houses to make ends meet for her children, and Reyes was known as a good kid.
"He grew up playing with my son," one neighbor told the Post. "He is a very good boy. Very quiet, very respectful guy. He's always smiling, a good boy."
He was reportedly a typical kid, so the news was shocking to many people.
"He has two dogs who he lives with," the man said. "You always see him twice a day — in the morning and in the evening walking his two dogs. He likes to play video games. You know, he's a normal kid."
Some people said he was just being a kid.
For one neighbor, it was just typical teenage mischief.
"We all do these things when we're young," a neighbor told the Post. "We do these stupid things and if we're lucky we learn and we grow and we get to be adults. He was not lucky."
Another neighbor disagreed and couldn't understand why he would have done something so dangerous.
"I don't understand why he would do this," the man told the newspaper. "I think he may have fallen in with the wrong crowd. His mother is always working. She is never here."
Subway surfing isn't new.
Sadly, this isn't the first incident of subway surfing, and the New York City Police Department has increased patrols in the area to help prevent these types of incidents. The Manhattan Transit Authority reportedly launched a campaign in September, hoping to stop thrill-seekers from riding on top of moving trains, PIX 11 reported. Prior to the launch of the campaign, five people had died in subway surfing accidents in 2023 alone, the news outlet noted.
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Community leaders condemn subway surfing.
In a statement obtained by NBC New York, MTA President Richard Davey shared, "Our thoughts are with the teenager's family. Subway surfing kills. Another innocent life has been lost, and it should not happen, I implore parents to talk with their children and teachers to speak with their students – riding on top of subway trains is reckless, dumb, and the consequences can be lethal."
Michael M. Kemper, chief of transit for NYPD, echoed the sentiment in a message posted on X.
"The senseless appeal of train surfing tragically claims another teen's life. No amount of thrill-seeking excitement or social media likes is worth the devastation to your family. Talk to your kids, then talk to them again, because the dangers of train surfing merits repeating," he tweeted.
