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NYC subway dragging death highlights an old school MTA failsafe
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Oct 2, 2026
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Stephen Nessen / Gothamist
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Oct 2, 2026
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This column originally appeared in On The Way, a weekly newsletter covering everything you need to know about NYC-area transportation.
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The horrific death of a man who was dragged by a train in Brooklyn on Monday evening is every subway rider’s worst nightmare.
The man, identified as 57-year-old Yaw Boahene, got caught on a subway car as he exited the A train at Utica Avenue during the evening rush. Police said Boahene was pulled against the platform by the 410-ton train. Boahene was “unsteady” and using a cane when he exited the train, according to transit officials.
Exactly how he was snagged remains under investigation, but the tragedy forced the MTA to face tough questions about subway safety protocols at the agency’s monthly board meeting on Wednesday.
MTA bosses repeatedly pointed out that subway doors are equipped with sensors that prevent a train from moving if the doors are not completely closed. The agency has added metal barriers to some platforms to help prevent riders from falling onto the tracks.
But the tragedy highlights how the MTA relies on an old-school tactic to keep millions of riders safe every day: a simple check by subway conductors. The conductors in the middle of trains are required to stick their heads out the window of their cab to make sure everyone is clear of the train.
The 2020 edition of the MTA’s training book for conductors lays out a specific protocol.
When a train arrives at a station, conductors are first required to wait until it comes to a complete stop “and they know from careful observation that all doors are abreast of the station platform,” according to the manual. Once the conductor opens the doors, they must stick their head out and look in both directions.
The doors must remain fully open for at least 10 seconds. Red lights at the end of each car indicate whether the doors have closed properly.
The manual states conductors must observe the doors of their trains with their heads slightly out the window until the train has moved 75 feet. They’re supposed to make sure the train isn’t dragging any people or objects, and can hit an emergency brake if something goes wrong.
“Failure to comply with this division constitutes, of itself, a reason for charges of misconduct and incompetence,” according to the manual.
A subway train is 600 feet long, meaning conductors must monitor the length of a football field in either direction from their cab.
NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow on Wednesday did not say whether the MTA’s investigation had determined whether the conductor on the train that killed Boahene fully complied with those rules.
“The conductor has the responsibility of observing the platform,” he said.
Deaths like Boahene’s are rare. In 2022, 20-year-old Joe Ancona, who worked on the stage crew at the Metropolitan Opera, died after police said his bag or clothing got caught on a 1 train at Columbus Circle.
The MTA has looked into other measures to keep riders safe on subway platforms. After Michelle Go was fatally shoved in front of a Times Square subway train in 2022, Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered the MTA to test out screen platform doors — like the ones on the JFK AirTrain that separate riders from the tracks — at three subway stations. The MTA never tested those doors, but have instead installed 4-foot-tall metal barriers at stations across the city.
The MTA is also looking into artificial intelligence technology that can flag “erratic behavior” caught on video cameras at its stations.
For now, the primary safety measure on subway platforms is still a simple check by the conductor.
NYC transportation news this week
Yellow taxi drivers keep dying on the job. Babacar Dem, 60, was nearing the end of another long shift last month behind the wheel of his yellow cab when he took a break to use the restroom at a chicken shop in the Bronx. He never came out. Dem is one of at least four yellow cab drivers who died on the job over the summer. All were immigrants struggling to make ends meet in New York City’s beleaguered taxi industry. Several, including Dem, were forced to choose between working long hours for poverty wages and tending to their health issues. The cabbies’ deaths have further shaken a workforce already devastated by the rapid rise of app-based car services like Uber and Lyft over the last decade. The tragedies have prompted renewed questions about the viability of the city’s once iconic yellow taxi business, where many drivers struggle to make weekly payments on their cabs.
Tariffs are adding to the cost of new train cars and buses. The MTA said President Donald Trump’s tariffs on foreign imports are on track to add $1 billion to the price of New York’s new train cars and buses. While the vehicles are all built in the United States, they rely on components manufactured abroad.
They’re finally digging under the Hudson River. Crews in North Bergen, New Jersey, turned on the first of two massive tunnel-boring machines that will carve out a new set of train tunnels between Manhattan and the Garden State for the first time since 1910.
NYC Ferry fare hike begins this month. Starting Oct. 19, the price of a single-ride ticket will increase from $4.50 to $5.
Fatal stabbing on J train. A 59-year-old man was fatally stabbed aboard a J train in Queens during the Wednesday evening rush, according to the NYPD.
Delivery workers fear e-bike regulations. Delivery workers are concerned a package of e-bike bills in front of the City Council will lead to an aggressive police crackdown and cost them the bikes they rely on to make a living.
Cyclist hit and killed by dump truck driver. The NYPD said a dump truck driver struck and killed a bicyclist on a busy stretch of West 34th Street in Midtown on Monday morning, then left the scene.
Curious Commuter
Have a question for us? Use this form to submit yours and we may answer it in a future newsletter!
Question from Chloe in Manhattan
Why do subway crews honk the train horn and why is it so loud?
Answer
In most cases, subway train operators will sound the horn when they roll through an area with workers on the tracks. They want to make sure the crews are aware they’re moving through so they move to a safe position. That’s also why the horn is so loud — its volume needs to be high enough so workers can’t miss it over their noisy work on the tracks.
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new york city
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Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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