Mother of NYC teen who died subway surfing begs others not to take part in social media stunt: ‘Think of the pain you will cause your family’

The heartbroken mother of a teenage woman who died aft tumbling disconnected nan apical of a subway car past play said she’s truthful distraught she doesn’t want to unrecorded — and begged different kids not to participate successful the vulnerable societal media stunt.

“Stop [subway] surfing — it’s not a game,” mom Maria Elena Ortiz, 31, told The Post Tuesday betwixt wrenching sobs. “If you die, deliberation of nan symptom you will origin your family. Please kids, don’t do it.

“I don’t want to unrecorded correct now,” Ortiz, a cleaner from Jackson Heights, Queens, added arsenic she said done a translator. “I consciousness truthful desperate. She was my baby.”

A family friend who goes by nan sanction of Ever besides said that cipher knew 13-year-old Krystel Romero was riding connected apical of nan trains — they didn’t moreover deliberation she took nan subways.

“They were doing it for societal media,” Ever said of Romero and her 14-year-old pal, who was critically injured erstwhile nan 2 girls fell disconnected a No. 7 train in Corona Sunday night.

“Social media is crazy correct now. They conscionable want likes,” Ever said. “Don’t return a consequence conscionable for TikTok likes. They deliberation they tin make money from their societal media.”

Her comments echoed Mayor Eric Adams’, who said astir Romero’s decease astatine his play property briefing connected Tuesday.

“I don’t cognize if we really understand what societal media is doing to our children,” Adams said. “Social media has radicalized and hijacked our children.

“It’s unimaginable that you tin thrust connected a subway train and 10 cardinal group will position [it], and we show that complete and over,” Hizzoner continued. “They are much impressionable astatine those young ages. You know, arsenic children, you time off a karate movie and you commencement kicking for illustration Bruce Lee. And that’s nan aforesaid thing.”

At another, unrelated property conference, Metropolitan Transit Authority CEO Janno Lieber said nan agency “has done truthful overmuch to effort to push backmost connected this terrible, vulnerable trend” and will “keep pushing.”

That includes “thousands and thousands” of printed and verbal messages that flash and play successful nan subway system, arsenic good arsenic asking societal media companies to return down nan viral clips arsenic soon arsenic they’re posted.

“We’re ever checking each time to make judge they do return them down and that they don’t get out,” Lieber said. “It breaks New Yorkers’ hearts that kids — a batch of them are conscionable bully kids — are being injured and even, God forbid, killed by this vulnerable activity.”

But it’s not clear if nan run is working.

The extent of nan problem was revealed erstwhile much erstwhile Romero became nan sixth personification to dice subway surfing this twelvemonth — a devastating tally that has already surpassed 2023’s people of 5 deaths.

The teen and her friend were riding connected apical of a southbound 7 train erstwhile they fell betwixt nan cars and were tally over astatine nan 111th Street position astir 11 p.m. Sunday, cops said.

Romero was pronounced dormant astatine nan segment correct aft her horrific fall, leaving her mother “really successful shock,” Ever said.

“Krystel’s mom told her not to do thing for illustration this,” she said. “I don’t cognize what made her return this determination … She fell connected nan tracks for likes connected TikTok.”

Romero’s pal was successful captious information astatine Elmhurst Hospital connected Monday — pinch sources telling The Post she had a fractured skull, a encephalon bleed and couldn’t respire connected her own.

The mishap intimately followed a akin 1 that killed 13-year-old Adolfo Sorzano, who died subway surfing past week successful Queens.

“Please don’t thrust [atop] nan subway,” Adolfo Sanabria, his heartbroken dad, told The Post Monday arsenic he begged different kids not to effort nan risky stunt. “Please deliberation astir nan symptom it will origin your parents.”

Lieber, of nan MTA, said nan metropolis needs parents and schools to “bear down difficult connected kids who person shown a propensity to do this, because we’ve sewage to prevention their lives.”

“Please! Parents, teachers, different caregivers — make judge kids understand this is not a game. We request group to propulsion kids backmost erstwhile they get progressive pinch this,” he said.

“They cannot return chances pinch their lives,” Lieber continued. “This is not for illustration a video game, you don’t get different chance. You can’t conscionable reboot. This is 1 chance. If you lose, if you do thing stupid, you’re going to suffer your life.”

Adams echoed this, saying nan parents “must return part.”

“They must play a domiciled successful this partnership,” he said.

Ever, nan family friend, said nan aforesaid point Tuesday.

“It’s not astir taking nan videos down, it’s astir parents who request to show kids, ‘If you make stupid videos, this is what could hap to you,'” she said.

“Kids, please perceive to your parents,” she continued. “Think astir your parents, deliberation astir your family. You could extremity up for illustration this.”

— Additional reporting by Joe Marino