Coronary heart-stopping drone footage launched by the NYPD Thursday exhibits subway surfers leaping for pleasure atop trains — as Mayor Eric Adams insisted the cameras within the sky saved 114 daredevils’ lives this 12 months, regardless of a tragic six fatalities.
The beforehand unannounced aerial drone program has carried out some 900 flights since final 12 months to identify and thwart subway surfers, Adams revealed throughout a Queens press convention.
However as Adams seemingly downplayed latest tragedies — together with the deaths of two 13 12 months olds using atop trains up to now week — as he touted the drone program’s successes in stopping the scourge of subway browsing.
“We see the lives which can be misplaced, however hardly ever do you get the medal for the lives which can be saved,” he lamented.
The terrifying movies launched by the NYPD present reckless subway surfers working car-to-car, dangling from the again of trains and even leaping into the air as rushing trains move under their toes.
The subway surfers caught by the drones’ cameras — and subsequently rousted from trains by cops — averaged 14 years previous, Adams stated.
Kaz Daughtry, the NYPD’s deputy commissioner of operations, stated the 7 line was a selected favourite for subway surfers owing to its “iconic” view of Manhattan’s skyline.
He stated cops will take younger subway surfers noticed by drones into custody and present the footage to their dad and mom in an effort to warn the youngsters towards dangerously hopping atop trains.
“So far as we see them coming down in between the vehicles, and we’ll get them coming down in between the vehicles,” he stated.
This system started as a pilot in November 2023, however shifted to a everlasting foundation in June, officers stated.
“That is a cheap approach of dealing with the expense of dropping a cherished one or a toddler,” Adams stated.
Adams has defiantly evangelized the elevated use of drones for public security makes use of, at the same time as high-profile robots usually did not ship, such when his Instances Sq. subway “snitchBOT” that ended up gathering mud after a showy rollout.
However Hizzoner, throughout the information convention exterior a Queens college, did acknowledge it will take greater than drones to curb the damaging subway browsing craze.
The mayor urged New Yorkers to name 911 in the event that they spot subway surfers — and repeated his requires social media firms to crack down on viral movies that encourage children to hop atop subway trains.
Six New York Metropolis youths have died subway browsing this 12 months, eclipsing the 5 fatalities from 2023, officers stated.
The latest tragedy unfolded Sunday, as two teen women plummeted from a southbound 7 prepare rolling into the 111th Road station in Queens.
Krystal Romero, 13, was pronounced lifeless on the scene, whereas her 14-year-old fellow daredevil remained in essential situation at Elmhurst Hospital. Sources stated the surviving teen had a fractured cranium, mind bleeding and couldn’t breathe on her personal.
A pair of heart-stopping movies that surfaced after Romero’s demise confirmed individuals, together with no less than 5 children, using atop subway vehicles close to the identical station.
The tragedy adopted one other demise final week, additionally involving a 13-year-old.
Brooklyn boy Adolfo Sorzano was killed performing the stunt on a prepare headed into the the Forest Avenue station in Queens.
The deaths unfolded despite rising determined efforts by New York Metropolis and MTA officers to warn youths towards the hazards of subway browsing.
Many officers and grief-stricken dad and mom of subway browsing victims have blamed social media firms akin to TikTok for letting viral movies depicting the foolhardy stunts proliferate unchecked.
“The social media firms have to step up, take this video down and cease pushing subway browsing challenges to our youngsters,” stated Norma Nazario, the mom of 15-year-old Zackery Nazario, who died final 12 months subway browsing.
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