Four teens were apprehended last week for subway surfing in the Bronx in the NYPD’s 200th arrest of death-defying daredevils riding atop moving train cars since 2023.
Police sources told amNewYork on Monday that they believe cops from the NYPD Transit Drone Team saved the lives of the young boys after they spotted them standing atop a moving northbound 6 express train as it passed beneath the Westchester Avenue Bridge. Law enforcement reported that the youths were balancing on top of several train cars as they whizzed by at a high rate of speed.
Video footage from the drones hovering above, obtained by amNewYork, appeared to show the subway surfers standing, sitting, and waving their arms as the train hurtled through the borough. Using the footage, the drone team was able to supply Transit District 12 officers with a detailed description of the suspects before cops worked with the MTA to stop the train at Parkchester Station.
The subway surfers appeared to sense what was coming, and they attempted to return to the inside. However, the train was held at the station, and the doors were held closed until officers could make their way inside.
Moments later, the four surfers — two 12-year-old boys, a 15-year-old boy, and a 16-year-old boy — were all taken into custody and charged with reckless endangerment.
Police say the arrests marked the 200th subway surfing apprehension by the NYPD Drone Team’s operation since deployments began in November 2023. Law enforcement adds that they believe this equates to 200 lives saved in the last 20 months.
