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NYC Transit President Richard Davey joined New York City Mayor Eric Adams, NYPD Chief of Transit Michael Kemper, and MTA Chief Safety and Security Officer Pat Warren at the Bushwick Av-Aberdeen St L station, the scene of a fatal subway surfing incident in which a 14-year-old teenager was killed and another 14-year-old injured after both fell to the tracks from the top of a Manhattan-bound train.
A transcript of NYC Transit President Davey’s remarks appear below.
NYC Transit President Richard Davey: I first want to thank the Mayor for his personal leadership. I saw the PSA, it was powerful, that he recorded a few weeks back imploring young people in New York not to be doing this activity. I also want to thank the Chief of Transit. What was also not discussed is they are grabbing kids off these trains, bringing them to their families, and imploring them to talk to their kids. So for every one of these tragedies we’ve seen over the last few months, there are dozens that have been prevented because of the NYPD.
Look, my message is clear. As President of New York City Transit, to have to come and again discuss an innocent life being taken because of a dumb mistake, it’s incensing. If you are a teenager and you are engaged in this activity, I am looking at you and imploring you to find something else to do. If you have a friend who you know is engaged in this activity, be brave and talk to them about why this is wrong. And if you are a parent and you think your child is engaged in subway surfing, riding between cars, please tell them it is not a game. Lives are lost. Lives are lost.