The mother of the 15-year-old New York boy who died while riding the subway last year has filed a lawsuit against the city’s subway network, TikTok and Meta.
Norma Nazario’s son, Zackery Nazario, died while riding the subway on a Brooklyn-bound J train over the Williamsburg Bridge on February 20, 2023.
A crossing light hit the teenager in the head, causing him to fall between the subway cars and before he could escape, a train ran over him.
A year after his death, Norma filed a lawsuit against the MTA and social media platforms, alleging that the apps ‘encouraged’ her son to perform the deadly stunt by recommending similar videos.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from TikTok, Meta and MTA.
Norma Nazario’s son, Zackery Nazario, died while riding the subway on a Brooklyn-bound J train over the Williamsburg Bridge on February 20, 2023.
A year after his death, Norma filed a lawsuit against the MTA and social media platforms alleging that the apps ‘encouraged’ her son to perform the deadly stunt by recommending similar videos.
Additionally, Norma sues the public transportation company for not closing the subway doors.
According to Norma, she found several videos of people surfing the subway after she started checking their social media accounts.
The distraught mother also claims that Zackery had received an advertisement for a balaclava, which surfers often use to hide their identities.
In addition to damages, the lawsuit also demands that technology companies “change their dangerous technology recommendations” that cause others to join such life-threatening trends.
In addition, Norma is suing the public transportation company for not closing the subway doors.
she told him New York Post: ‘You could give me a billion dollars and I won’t stop. “I’m not going to stop until the MTA and these social media companies start taking responsibility and stop killing our children.”
But MTA Chairman Richard Daley responded, telling Eyewitness News, “We’ve said it time and time again: Don’t get on trains because that won’t end well, and we implore parents to tell their kids that.” and to friends who Warn your friends: avoid tragedy by traveling inland.
According to Norma, she found several videos of people surfing the subway after she started checking their social media accounts.
But MTA Chairman Richard Daley responded, saying, “We’ve said it again and again: Don’t get on trains because that won’t end well, and we implore parents to tell their kids and friends that.” “Let them warn their friends.” – avoid tragedy by traveling inside’
Matthew Bergman, Norma’s lawyer, said the young woman was addicted to the apps by “design” and was “directed” to videos that encouraged surfing on the subway.
Social media platforms have also long claimed legal protection for content posted by users through the 1996 law known as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
Section 230 provides federal immunity to online computer services with respect to third-party content generated by their users.
But Matthew Bergman, Norma’s attorney, said ABC that the young man was addicted to the applications by “design” and was “directed” towards videos that encouraged navigation on the subway.
‘Zackery was a social media addict by design and affirmatively took aim at challenging videos that encouraged subway surfing.
‘Zackery also has some responsibility. “No one is saying that there is no shared guilt here, but what we are saying is that this did not have to happen.”
Speaking of the MTA, the attorney said, “Given the profusion of subway surfing that was occurring, they made no efforts to prevent it.”
A video of some people attempting the ‘Subway Surfers Challenge’ shows them imitating the main character of the eponymous game and jumping on moving subway trains.
A video of some people attempting the ‘Subway Surfers Challenge’ shows them imitating the main character of the eponymous game and jumping moving subway trains.
Last month, 14-year-old Alam Reyes fell off an F train bound for Coney Island in Brooklyn while riding the subway and died at the scene.
His His heartbroken half-brother later revealed that the teenager followed several accounts that posted photos and videos of him riding the subway around the city and that he hoped they had checked their social media before the incident.
‘Now that you go to their social networks you see who they follow, who their friends are’, Diego Tinoco, told the Daily News.
“When you see the videos people post about navigating the subway, you realize it’s already too late.”
“I spoke to him the day he died,” revealed Tinoco, 32, “I just said good morning because I was going to work.”
“He was a good kid, he had a lot of friends, he was just hanging around in the wrong circle.”
Alam Reyes, 14, fell off an F train bound for Coney Island in Brooklyn on Friday
Despite the best efforts of emergency services, the child was pronounced dead at the scene.
Tinoco said his brother dropped out of classes at Landmark High School in Chelsea and went subway surfing with a friend.
The friend continued to the next stop after Reyes fell at the Avenue N elevated station in Midwood above McDonald Avenue.
People on McDonald Avenue saw blood on the street and then saw a sneaker fall off the tracks, Ernesto Galindo, who works at Vinnie’s Pizza, told the station.
Last year, four other teenagers, including 15-year-old Jay Thirunarayanapuram, died while riding the subway.
City officials have been fighting the rise of this dangerous trend, and last year the MTA and the mayor’s office launched a campaign targeting young people.
In 2022, the MTA reported 928 cases of people riding outside, on or between trains, compared to just 206 in 2021.
The NYPD has also begun deploying drones to capture subway riders in real time.