MTA boss Janno Lieber celebrated the transit company’s efforts to curb subway browsing Wednesday — however the annual demise toll reveals the lethal stunt is as large an issue as ever.
5 folks have died from subway browsing incidents this yr 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 might be lethal.
Younger folks have taken to the damaging sport in determined makes an attempt to realize 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 carried out a ton of stuff that’s been actually profitable,” Lieber, the MTA’s chairman and CEO, mentioned after an MTA board assembly Wednesday. “I’m very happy with what the MTA has carried out to attempt to educate everyone concerning the risks of subway browsing.”
“We’ve got hundreds of thousands of bulletins and impressions, and we’ve labored with the NYPD who’ve instituted plenty of particular operations within the areas the place this appears to happen extra typically,” 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 lately 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 reside for too lengthy,” Lieber went on.
“If it had been baby pornography they might determine received to close it down,” Lieber mentioned, noting Tiktok has been profitable in shortly eradicating the favored movies earlier than they generate hundreds of thousands 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 large.
“So we’re calling on Meta, Instagram to perform a little bit higher,” Lieber mentioned. “They’ve been cooperative in discussions, however they haven’t been profitable in stamping it out.”
A spokesperson from Meta mentioned 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 once we turn into conscious of them. We’ll proceed to work with the MTA to handle this situation.”
Lieber additionally famous the MTA remains to be piloting anti-subway browsing equipment designed to dam dangerous straphangers from climbing atop of the rushing trains.
“After we come to a conclusion about how they’re working, there’s a possibility to increase them,” Lieber mentioned.
The padded boundaries have already been put in on a string of No. 7 trains and the MTA mentioned it plans to increase this system to all of its vehicles that line – at a price ticket of $10 million – by the tip of 2026.
“It’s unbelievably heartbreaking when the children make this determination for a momentary thrill, for actually an infinitesimal second of glory on social media that may finish their lives or go away them completely disfigured,” Lieber mentioned.
