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Mom of teen killed 'train surfing' on BART warns others not to tempt fate

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Published  March 11, 2024 6:48pm PDT
BART
KTVU FOX 2

Mom warns against 'train surfing' after son's death

Train surfing is a dangerous daredevil stunt of riding on top of a moving train, a risky trend floating around on social media.

SAN FRANCISCO - Train surfing is a dangerous daredevil stunt of riding on top of a moving train, a risky trend floating around on social media.

For frequent rider Daniel Baran of San Francisco, one ride would cost him his life.

"Yeah, it was tough," his heartbroken mother Marina Baran remembered the 19-year-old for his brave and adventurous spirit.  

"He was a bit risky," Baran said.

Bay Area Rapid Transit previously told KTVU that a body was found on the tracks near the Balboa Park BART Station, just after 1:00 a.m. on January 29.

Baran said that’s where her son attempted to "surf" on top of the train.

But instead of a thrill ride, Baran said her son would fall from the moving train, get run over, and die.

19-year-old Daniel Baran and his mother Marina of San Francisco attend his high school graduation, months before the teen was killed while train surfing on BART. 

"I’m facing my worst moments right now, to be honest," Baran said, who would take to social media after her son’s death, warning other teens commenting about "train surfing," not to make the same mistake.

But just two weeks later, a 15-year-old Gateway Charter School student, whose name was not released, would become the second to die while performing the same stunt near Daly City.

"That should definitely ring a bell to those teenagers, and I want them to be, I want them to hear me that it’s dangerous," Baran said.

The 2023 Lowell High School graduate hoped to become a lawyer, but that dream was cut short by what his mother believes was a spontaneous decision.

"He just saw it possible, he did it," Baran said.

Two young men died while 'BART surfing'

A social media trend claims the lives of two young Bay Area men. People climbing on top of BART trains and attempting to surf them. it's something called BART-surfing.

A spokesperson for BART declined to comment on KTVU’s inquiries on Monday, into whether any new safety measures have been taken to prevent another rider from getting onto the top of a train.

Baran is not blaming BART, instead, more than a month after her son’s death, she’s sharing Daniel’s tragic story, in hopes of preventing anyone else from following his lead.

"Stop doing this," Baran said. "My son just died doing that."

She has even ridden BART since the accident, trying to find closure.

It she could say anything to her son one last time, it would be: "I love you. I love you, yeah." Baran said. "And I’m proud of you."

The mothers of both teens who died from train surfing on BART have since bonded, according to Baran, and are now supporting each other as they grieve.