United States: the game of “subway surfers” worries the New York authorities

These followers call it the “Subway surfing“ (surfing the New York subway). The goal of this game is to jump between the wagons and thus slide between the skyscrapers of one of the largest metropolises on the planet. Young people film their dangerous acrobatics and then post them online on social networks. A few weeks ago, a 15-year-old boy misjudged his run and his head was smashed by a bridge pylon. He died instantly.

Practices that have doubled in four years

“Young people see the number of views on social networks, likes, the jlove and it’s almost chemical. It becomes very addictive when it is very dangerous but people run after this kind of glory”, deplore a local resident, during a tribute vigil. According to statistics from the New York subway, these practices have doubled in four years and the police are sounding the alarm. Eric Adams, the mayor of New York, points to the responsibility of the social networks to which he calls accounts. In response, Instagram and TikTok deleted many of these videos on their networks.