MTA boss pushes parents to take control as subway surfing deaths soar, kids try crazy Spider-Man stunts

The MTA boss called out parents to “take control” of the deadly subway surfing trend – as it was 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 ...