15-year-old in critical condition after hitting head while surfing on top of NYC train

The teen was found on top of a 7 train heading southbound at the 111 Street station in Queens Thursday evening, suffering "severe head trauma."

The boy was transported to Elmhurst Hospital in critical condition. Gary Hershorn / Getty Images file
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A 15-year-old boy is in critical condition after hitting his head while subway surfing on top of a New York City train Thursday evening, officials say.

Police responded to the 111th Street station at Roosevelt Avenue in Queens at 6:08 p.m. and found the teenager unconscious on top of a 7 train heading southbound, the New York City Police Department said.

The boy was believed to have been riding on top of the train car as it entered the station and struck his head on “an unknown object” and suffered “severe head trauma," according to police.

He was removed from the top of the train and transported to Elmhurst Hospital in critical condition. As of early Friday morning, he remains in critical condition, police said.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Earlier this month, a video circulated on social media showing about eight people subway surfing, running and even dancing on top of a northbound J train as it passed over the Williamsburg Bridge. Those suspects have not been identified. 

However, subway surfing is dangerous. In October 2021, a 32-year-old man died after falling on the tracks while subway surfing on a J train over the Williamsburg Bridge.