MTA boss Janno Lieber celebrated the transit company’s efforts to curb subway browsing Wednesday — however the annual demise toll exhibits the lethal stunt is as huge an issue as ever.
5 folks have died from subway browsing incidents this 12 months after six died in 2024 and 5 died in 2023 — with barely a change even regardless of public promoting campaigns from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority warning that the boneheaded stunt may very well be lethal.
Younger folks have taken to the damaging sport in determined makes an attempt to achieve likes and followers on social media, with transit officers pointing the finger at corporations like Meta for permitting movies of subway browsing to go viral with out being taken down.
“We’ve performed a ton of stuff that’s been actually profitable,” Lieber, the MTA’s chairman and CEO, stated after an MTA board assembly Wednesday. “I’m very happy with what the MTA has performed to attempt to educate all people in regards to the risks of subway browsing.”
“We now have tens of millions of bulletins and impressions, and we’ve labored with the NYPD who’ve instituted numerous particular operations within the areas the place this appears to happen extra usually,” Lieber added, pointing to the NYPD’s use of drones to catch surfers within the act.
Lieber additionally claimed he urged Meta, guardian firm of Instagram, to do extra to take away movies posted to social media that glamourize the lethal maneuver.
“I’ve despatched that message to them a few instances, most not too long ago this week that we wish them to get on the stick,” Lieber claimed. “They’ve been cooperative in discussions, however they haven’t been profitable in stamping it out.”
“Instagram appears to be a spot the place nonetheless extra subway browsing movies do get to stay for too lengthy,” Lieber went on.
“If it have been baby pornography they might work out received to close it down,” Lieber stated, noting Tiktok has been profitable in rapidly eradicating the favored movies earlier than they generate tens of millions of views.
A spokesperson for the MTA didn’t reply when The Submit requested to see the message that Lieber despatched to the social media big.
“So we’re calling on Meta, Instagram to do some bit higher,” Lieber stated. “They’ve been cooperative in discussions, however they haven’t been profitable in stamping it out.”
A spokesperson from Meta stated the corporate removes subway browsing movies every time officers are made conscious of them.
“Movies encouraging subway browsing violate our insurance policies, and we take away them after we develop into conscious of them. We’ll proceed to work with the MTA to handle this concern.”
Lieber additionally famous the MTA continues to be piloting anti-subway browsing equipment designed to dam dangerous straphangers from climbing atop of the dashing trains.
“After we come to a conclusion about how they’re working, there’s a possibility to broaden them,” Lieber stated.
The padded boundaries have already been put in on a string of No. 7 trains and the MTA stated it plans to broaden this system to all of its automobiles that line – at a price ticket of $10 million – by the top of 2026.
“It’s unbelievably heartbreaking when the children make this resolution for a momentary thrill, for actually an infinitesimal second of glory on social media that may finish their lives or depart them completely disfigured,” Lieber stated.
