Adams touts success of NYPD drones against subway surfing scourge — despite 6 deaths this year

New York City police on Thursday released stunning drone footage of subway surfers jumping for joy on trains, as Mayor Eric Adams insisted sky cameras had saved 114 brave lives this year despite a tragic six deaths .

The previously unannounced drone program has flown about 900 flights since last year to detect and disrupt subway surfers, Adams said during a news conference in Queens.

But as Adams appeared to downplay recent tragedies — including the deaths of two 13-year-olds riding an elevated train last week — he touted the drone program’s success in ending the scourge of subway surfing.

“We see lives lost, but rarely do you get a medal for lives saved,” he lamented.

Horrific videos released by the New York Police Department show reckless subway surfers running at each other, dangling from train bodies and even jumping into the air as high-speed trains pass under their feet.

According to Adams, subway surfers caught on drone cameras and later kicked off trains by police had an average age of 14.

Kaz Daughtry, the NYPD’s deputy commissioner for operations, said the 7 line is a particular favorite of subway fans because of its “iconic” view of the Manhattan skyline.

He said police would take into custody young subway surfers spotted by drones and show the footage to their parents to warn children against dangerously jumping on trains.

“If we see them going down between the cars, we will make them go down between the cars,” he said.

The program began as a pilot in November 2023, but became permanent in June, officials said.

“It’s an inexpensive way to cope with the loss of a loved one or a child,” Adams said.

Adams has defiantly advocated for the increased use of drones for public safety, even if high-profile jobs have often failed to do so, such as when his Times Square subway “bot snitch” what is over gathering dust after a spectacular deployment.

But Hizzoner acknowledged during a news conference outside a Queens school that it will take more than drones to curb the dangerous subway surfing craze.

The mayor urged New Yorkers to call 911 if they spot subway surfers — and reiterated his calls for social media companies to crack down on viral videos that inspire kids to jump on subway trains.

Six young New Yorkers have died while surfing the subway this year, surpassing the five fatalities in 2023, officials said.

The latest tragedy unfolded on Sunday, as two teenage girls plummeted from southbound car 7 train pulls into 111th Street Station in Queens.

Crystal Romero, 13, was pronounced dead at the scene, while her 14-year-old fellow daredevil remained in critical condition at Elmhurst Hospital. The surviving teenager had a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain and was unable to breathe on her own, sources said.

Couple heart stops video Appearing after Romero’s death, people, including at least five children, ride in subway cars near the same station.

The tragedy follows another death last week, also involving a 13-year-old boy.

Brooklyn boy Adolfo Sorzano was killed while performing a stunt on a train bound for Forest Avenue Station in Queens.

The deaths began despite the increasingly desperate efforts of New York and MTA Officials to warn young people about the dangers of subway surfing.

Many officials and the grief-stricken parents of subway surfing victims have blamed social media companies such as TikTok for allowing viral videos depicting silly stunts to go viral.

“Social media companies need to step up, take down this video and stop forcing subway surfing challenges on our kids,” said Norma Nazario, mother of 15-year-old Zachery Nazario, who died last year while surfing the subway.