Teen BART deaths spark serious warnings about 'surfing' on top of trains
SAN FRANCISCO - Serious warnings are being issued following the death of another Bay Area teenager after he reportedly engaged in a dangerous stunt known as "train surfing," in which a person rides on the roof of a moving train.
Some said it's a trend that's becoming increasingly popular on social media, as "train surfing" videos circulate.
The death happened on Sunday, near the Daly City BART station.
KTVU first reported the incident as "police activity," which shut down BART service in the area for several hours.
BART has released very few details about the incident except that shortly before 9:30 a.m., "An unidentified male was located near the M1 track, milepost 14.6."
The San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Tuesday acknowledged it was aware of the case but said the victim’s identity was not yet being released.
Gateway Charter School in San Francisco confirmed the death of a student over the weekend, although did not confirm the identity of the student.
The interim Executive Director Aaron Watson released a statement indicating, "We received the heartbreaking news that one of our students died on Sunday. First and foremost, our condolences go out to the student’s family. Whenever there is any loss in a school community, it is, of course, a traumatic event – for the family, classmates, teachers and staff. We remain in touch with the family and have taken steps to provide support and resources for our students as we move through this difficult time as a community."
In a story for The San Francisco Standard, the victim’s mother told the publication that her son had used Instagram to post videos of dangerous stunts, like scaling towering buildings and riding on top of trains.
The Daily City BART station in Daily City Calif., (Ananda Paulas/Bay City News)
The mother, who wished to remain anonymous, said when she saw a video that her son posted of himself "surfing" on the top of a BART train last month, she made him promise to stop and even revoked his access to Instagram.
But she said that the attention he was receiving on social media from his stunt videos was fueling and encouraging him to continue taking risks.
On the online community platform Reddit, a user identified as a transit worker on duty the day the teen died, posted about the tragedy and made an impassioned plea to those considering riding on top of a train.
"Nobody who works in transit wants to deal with anything involved. Nobody wants to have to place a phone call to your significant others or family telling them that your body is in 15 different pieces in the trackway. No train operator deserves to be haunted by the results of some individual's stupidity, and a sense of guilt that follows," Reddit user @u/UnusualApplication4 wrote.
The post went on to say, "No parent deserves to lose their kid doing something as boneheaded as this. There’s a reason trains have seats inside. That’s where you’re supposed to be when you’re riding the train. Not on the roof, not on the back coupler, not hanging off the side. Your life isn’t worth 15 seconds of video you post on Instagram for clout. Please, please, please don’t ‘surf’ trains. It’s just not cool."
Since word of the tragedy circulated, people have left comments on the teen's Instagram page lamenting over his death, as well as noting that it might serve as a message to others thinking about partaking in risky and reckless behavior.
One Instagram user, @s_abanani, wrote, "i'm so sorry for your mother and the friends and family you left behind. i hope your passing will keep other kids from trying this. RIP...too young."
@search.query commented, "Fly high. Nobody deserves this fate. Train surfing kills. RIP bro."
Our request for comment from BART about specifics of Sunday's death was not immediately answered, but officials with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency did react to the tragedy, saying the dangerous stunts were taking lives.
"This is a heartbreaking, tragic and utterly senseless death. We monitor and respond to all behavior at Muni stations and on Muni buses and trains," SFMTA said in a statement to KTVU. "As videos and photos of so-called 'surfing' are spread by traditional and social media, too many kids are paying with their lives," the agency added.
SFMTA also said it was taking measures to prevent people from "surfing" Muni and called on social media outlets to play a role in preventing the glorification of the behavior. "We strongly discourage these reckless acts and urge media platforms to stop amplifying the content fueling them," the agency said.
Cal State University East Bay's Chair of the Department of Public Health Arnab Mukherjea commented on social media and teens. He said, "The social media world has really complicated matters about how children and young adults mimic behavior."
Last month, a 19-year-old San Francisco man was killed when he reportedly attempted to engage in a similar stunt on a BART train.
Mrkheajea said, "Unfortunately, it puts a lot of pressure on families and adults that are close to these children to impress upon them the consequences of these actions."
SEE ALSO: Body found on BART tracks near Balboa Park Station
Daniel Baran's mother, Marina Baran, told the SF Standard her son died near the Balboa Park station. It's not far from where the 15-year-old was killed.
Days before the latest death on Sunday, Marina Baran was on Instagram, warning others of the tragic outcome she and her family faced, when her son decided to get on top of a BART train.
The mother replied to comments to a BART "surfing" video that was posted on Instagram, where some wrote that they wanted to emulate the act.
"My son attempted to do it on Jan 29th, he fell and was run by the train," the grieving mother wrote. "The funeral was yesterday. Your parents are lucky that you are alive."
Alice Wertz - a freelance reporter for KTVU Fox 2 News, contributed to this report. She can be reached at Alice.Wertz@Fox.com
This article has been updated to clarify details of statements made by Gateway Charter School.