THE BRONX, N.Y. (WPIX) — Four boys who were recently apprehended while subway surfing in the Bronx are among the 200 people New York Police Department (NYPD) drones have rescued since the program began, police said Tuesday.
Last week, drones spotted the kids — ages 16, 15, 12, and 12 — riding on top of the northbound 6 express train as it sped under a bridge and through multiple above-ground stations in the Bronx last Thursday, according to the NYPD.
Footage released by the NYPD first shows one of the boys climbing onto the roof of the train and immediately crouching as it passes under the Westchester Avenue Bridge. The three other boys then emerge from between the train cars and get to their feet. One of the kids slips after standing up.
The boys could also be seen jumping on top of the train as it travels through the Bronx.
A group of boys was apprehended by NYPD officers after they were spotted subway surfing atop a moving MTA train last week. (NYPD) 
A group of boys was apprehended by NYPD officers after they were spotted subway surfing atop a moving MTA train last week. (NYPD) 
A group of boys was apprehended by NYPD officers after they were spotted subway surfing atop a moving MTA train last week. (NYPD) 
A group of boys was apprehended by NYPD officers after they were spotted subway surfing atop a moving MTA train last week. (NYPD)
After the NYPD’s Drone Team sent officers the boys’ descriptions, police say they were able to stop the train and apprehend the boys before they were seriously injured.
Authorities also said Tuesday that there had been hundreds of subway surfing apprehensions since the NYPD began using drones in November of 2023.
“It’s not a thrill. It’s a deadly risk,” the NYPD wrote in a social media post earlier this week. “Our drone technology has already helped save 200 lives — spotting subway surfers before tragedy strikes. We’re watching from above. Because you matter down here. Ride inside, stay alive.”
As of July 6, three people have died subway surfing in 2025, compared to two during the same time last year, officials said. A total of six people died in 2024 as a result of the activity, with five dying after subway surfing the previous year.
Among the more recent deaths was Carlos Oliver, a 15-year-old boy who was subway surfing on a No. 7 train in Queens over the Fourth of July weekend. Officials say he lost his balance and fell as the train pulled into the Queensboro Plaza Station. He was rushed to the hospital, but did not survive his injuries.
“I want him here, I want to hold him,” his sister told Nexstar’s WPIX. “Someone has to do something.”