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NYPD launches essay contest asking teens to help stop subway surfing
By
Phil Corso
Published Apr 8, 2025
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David Dee Delgado/Getty Images
By
Phil Corso
Published Apr 8, 2025
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The NYPD is asking New York City teens to help tackle a deadly and growing public safety concern: subway surfing.
High school students in grades 9 through 12 are invited to enter the annual “Police Commissioner for a Day” essay contest, co-hosted by the NYPD and the Police Athletic League. The prompt asks students to imagine themselves as commissioner and outline how they would work with MTA officials to prevent young people from subway surfing.
The top winner will receive $500, a personalized plaque and a $250 donation to their school. They’ll also get the chance to meet Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and spend a day with top NYPD leadership during an awards ceremony on June 4. Additional titles — including deputy commissioner, bureau chief and precinct commander — will be awarded to other finalists.
Essays must be submitted as PDF or Word documents by April 25 via the PAL's website.
The contest comes amid growing concern over subway surfing, which has surged in recent years. In 2024, there were 229 arrests and 15 injuries related to the stunt, according to NYPD data. Six people died, most of them teenagers. That marked an increase from 135 arrests and five deaths in 2023.
As of Feb. 9, the NYPD had already made 17 arrests tied to subway surfing and responded to two non-fatal injuries, though no deaths had been recorded so far this year.
City officials have blamed social media platforms for glamorizing the behavior, prompting takedown efforts, drone surveillance and outreach campaigns.
**“**We see social media as the major driver of this behavior,” NYPD Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta said at a City Council hearing last year. “We see from surfers trying to capture and share edgy content on social media platforms is a phenomenon that we did not see in decades that passed.”
Giulia Heyward contributed reporting.
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new york city
public safety
transportation
Phil Corso
Phil Corso is the evening news editor at WNYC/Gothamist. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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