A 57-year-old man identified as Yaw Boahene has died after the shopping bag he was carrying became trapped in the doors of a subway train in Brooklyn, New York.
The incident occurred on Monday at the Utica Avenue station in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area as Boahene was reportedly getting off a Manhattan-bound train.
According to investigators cited by ABC7, the bag became caught in the train doors, causing Boahene to be dragged backwards. He was subsequently pulled between two train cars and onto the tracks.
Police said they received a 911 emergency call at about 6:05 p.m. Eastern Time regarding the incident. Officers who arrived at the scene found the 57-year-old unconscious and unresponsive on the track bed of the northbound A train.
“Upon arrival, officers were informed that a 57-year-old male was discovered unconscious and unresponsive on the roadbed of the northbound ‘A’ train. EMS responded and pronounced the man deceased at the scene.
The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death, and the investigation is ongoing,” the New York Police Department said in a statement.
A witness who spoke to ABC7 said she was on her way home from school when the incident occurred, describing a scene of panic among passengers on the subway platform.
Although serious subway accidents are uncommon, a similar incident occurred in 2022 when a 20-year-old man died after his clothing became trapped in the doors of a No. 1 train at Manhattan’s Columbus Circle station during rush hour.
Data from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which operates New York City’s transit system, showed that subway customer accidents rose by 2% in 2025.
The MTA, however, said the increase in accidents was lower than the growth in ridership.
“Ridership grew at a greater rate than accidents,” the agency said, adding: “As a result, the 12-month rate decreased by 4.7%.”
By: Prince Martey-Sogar.