Study links ADHD to NYC’s deadly subway surfing trend

Key Points:

• A new study from NYU-Langone and the city hospital system found that teen boys diagnosed with ADHD are disproportionately involved in subway surfing incidents in New York City, with 60% of subway surfers having ADHD compared to 6.1% of nonsurfers.
• The study analyzed 43 patients under 21 treated for subway-related trauma at Bellevue Hospital between 2018 and 2025, identifying 10 injured subway surfers who were all male teenagers with higher ADHD rates.
• Researchers caution that the sample size is small and the study does not establish causation, but suggests ADHD may be linked to thrill-seeking or attention-seeking behaviors typical of teenagers.
• Subway surfing has resulted in at least 12 deaths in NYC since the start of 2024, with serious injuries including brain and spine trauma and amputations among survivors; efforts to curb the trend include MTA barriers, social media lobbying, and NYPD drone surveillance.
• The study draws parallels to a similar subway surfing epidemic in 1990s Berlin, where fatalities led to the decommissioning of train cars that were easier to climb, highlighting the potential for targeted prevention measures.