A Bronx teen earned the title “Police Commissioner for a Day” at NYPD headquarters in Lower Manhattan on Wednesday for his excellent essay on the dangers of subway surfing.
Carmelo Vereen, 18, was honored during a special ceremony at One Police Plaza on June 4, attended by top NYPD brass, including Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Vereen’s essay was chosen out of hundreds of applicants as the most thoughtful in the ongoing battle to curb the epidemic of teen subway surfing.
In his essay, Vereen recalled that subway surfing is not a new trend, quoting a mayor’s solemn remarks from a tragic moment nearly 30 years ago.
“When a 14-year-old died subway surfing in 1996, former Mayor Giuliani said this: ‘There is no way that you can protect a child who decides to surf on top of a subway car.’ However, I disagree with that statement,” Vereen wrote in his essay. “As a young person, I understand how peer pressure, a lack of purpose, boredom, and a lack of positive influences can lead someone down a path of making erroneous decisions. Subway surfing is a reckless and fatal trend in which people, specifically teenagers, ride on top of moving trains. In recent years, we have seen a rise in young people subway surfing, often for social media fame and attention.”
Subway suffering continues to be a massive issue for the youth of the Big Apple. Without providing specific numbers, police sources report that arrests of subway surfers are down in 2025 compared to the same time in 2024 — 88 people were arrested, 83 of whom were juveniles.
Cops believe the deadly trend is fueled through videos circulating through social media networks like TikTok.
“We are facing subway surfing, a deadly trend that has taken the lives of 14 New Yorkers in the past two years, including 11 children,” Commissioner Tisch said before going on to praise Vereen for his essay. “You approached it with empathy, with depth and with the understanding that no one agency can solve any problem alone. You called for a whole community response, one that includes the NYPD, the MTA, schools, families, and, crucially, young people like yourself. That kind of thinking is exactly what this city needs.”
Vereen’s essay focused on a proposed partnership between the NYPD and MTA that would use video platforms to promote safety. Out of gratitude for his work, Tisch presented the teen with a certificate and officially conferred upon him the title, “Police Commissioner for the Day.”
The Bronx teenager was thrilled with the honor.
“It means a lot to me to represent youth like me who don’t participate in these acts. You know, who really wants to be a part of the change, not the issue. So, that’s what it means to me,” Vereen said. “I want to show people that not every kid is a bad kid. We’re not all young and dumb.”
Already part of the explorer program, Vereen says he has aspirations of becoming a police officer one day. But focusing on Wednesday itself, he had a full agenda with meetings and a tour of the headquarters.
