N.Y.C. Subway Surfer Dies After Falling Off Train, Getting Hit By Another Near Williamsburg Bridge

Abigail Adams
·1 min read
A view of Williamsburg Bridge and Midtown NYC on March 14, 2021 in New York City.
A view of Williamsburg Bridge and Midtown NYC on March 14, 2021 in New York City.

Noam Galai/Getty

A man has died in New York City after subway surfing near the Williamsburg Bridge, police say.

In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, the New York City Police Department says an unidentified 32-year-old man had jumped on top of the J-train early Saturday morning but lost his footing and fell onto the northbound tracks, where he was hit by an oncoming train.

Police say the man was "unconscious and unresponsive" when they found him underneath the train at around 4:35 a.m. local time. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

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Service to the J-train was temporarily suspended while the scene was cleared. This particular train runs between Manhattan and Queens, per the MTA website.

An empty New York Subway car is seen on March 23, 2020 in New York City.
An empty New York Subway car is seen on March 23, 2020 in New York City.

Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty

The Williamsburg Bridge connects Manhattan and Brooklyn over the East River and is one of the busiest thoroughfares in the city, according to the N.Y.C. Department of Transportation.

"Riding on top of trains is not smart," MTA spokesperson Tim Minton told CNN.

In 2019, reports of subway surfing were up 15% to 461, according to MTA data obtained by The City. One person, a 14-year-old boy, was killed that year while riding atop a train in Queens.

An investigation into Saturday's incident is ongoing.