15-Year-Old Subway Surfer Dies After Falling Off Train In Manhattan

A 15-year-old boy who was riding on top of a Manhattan subway train fell off the train and died in Brooklyn on Thursday, Dec. 1.

The 15-year-old teen boy, identified as Ka’Von Wooden, had been riding on top of a southbound J train on the Williamsburg Bridge as the train approached the Delancey Street/Essex Street station on Thursday morning. At around 11:30 a.m., the boy lost his balance and fell off the train. He then fell underneath the train and made contact with the electrified third rail, NBC News reported.

After the incident, subway service in the area was disrupted for hours and hundreds of people had to be taken off the train involved at the time.

When emergency services responded to the scene, the boy was found unconscious with severe head trauma. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene, Daily News reported.

Officers revealed that there were no other children at the scene when Ka’Von fell.

His grieving mother stated that he was autistic and that he never would have done something so dangerous if others hadn’t dared him.

“It’s not something he would do on his own,” said Y’Vonda Maxwell, 53. “He was a kid on the spectrum. He got in on the wrong crowd. He was bullied because he was autistic.”

Besides being autistic, Ka’Von also had trouble with his legs.

“His legs gave out in school last week and he had to come home,” his grieving mother recounted.

According to Ka’Von's brother, who did not give his name, Ka’Von was a rail fan.

“He was an avid fan of trains — subways, locomotives,” said Ka’Von's brother. “He was an active part of the train community. He took the trains everywhere. He took them just to explore. Everybody is broken up by this.”

Following her son's death, Maxwell wrote a tribute to her son on a GoFundMe page.

“Ka’Von was a bright, smart, charismatic, and caring individual,” she wrote. “He showed a lot of love to the people he cared about, let alone anyone. Shy as he could be, he was a friendly soul.”