Teen Girls Killed In NYC Subway Surfing Incident Are Identified: What We Know

BROOKLYN, NY — Two teen girls killed in a suspected subway surfing incident this past weekend in Brooklyn have been identified.

Zemfira Mukhtarov, 12, of Brooklyn, and Ebba Morina, 13, of Manhattan, were discovered lifeless atop a moving train at the Marcy Avenue–Broadway station in Williamsburg around 3:10 a.m. on Saturday.

They were pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. The teen girls were identified by their families and police.

The Oct. 4 incident is the fifth subway surfing death in 2025, approaching the six fatalities recorded in 2024 and equaling the number in 2023.

"As your mayor, and as a father, I’m heartbroken by the tragic loss of two young girls who died subway surfing in Brooklyn. My thoughts are with their families," Mayor Eric Adams previously said on a social media post.

In a statement, New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow — who has been leading a campaign against the deadly trend — urged New Yorkers to talk to young people about the dangers of riding outside train cars, stressing that subway surfing is not an acceptable game.

His remarks follow the launch of a new MTA ad campaign in July, titled “Ride Inside, Stay Alive," aimed at curbing subway surfing deaths across the city.

An investigation into the Oct. 4 incident remains ongoing, police said.