As subway surfing claims an increasing number of New Yorkers’ lives every year, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the New York Police Department (NYPD) have been strategizing to combat the rise in fatalities. After attempting myriad strategies, from student-voiced public service announcements to digital and print posters in trains and stations, the solution may lie with more eyes in the sky: surveillance drones.

On October 12th, Mayor Eric Adams announced the “Drone as First Responder” program (DFR), an initiative to employ drones to help with a variety of tasks, from crime scene examinations to natural disaster recovery efforts, and, strikingly, the prevention and prosecution of adult subway surfing attempts. 

In a statement, Adams explained that pilots would remotely operate the drones, enabling them to assess an emergency scene digitally and quickly broadcast detailed information to first responders.

According to the NYPD, 900 drone flights in NYC have saved 114 lives, ranging in age from nine to 33. Although these drones have conclusively shown positive results, some raise ethical questions regarding the privacy and cost-effectiveness of the venture. 

Mr. Richard Lopez, a Principles of Engineering and Digital Electronics teacher, shared that he is confident that “drones have a future in real estate, traffic congestion control, business, security, and many other fields,” but he questioned how effective drones would be in stopping subway surfing. “Drones could be a waste of time and money as they would need an operator,” he explained.

Some have also voiced concerns that the new program could pose a threat to privacy. Mr. Lopez argues that drone surveillance could expand to intrude on other areas of our lives.

Others, like Brian Kong (’26), an Industrial Design major and member of the Tech Transit Association, imagines that drones actually pose minimal privacy risks. 

“I’d say privacy isn’t that much of an issue because we’re talking [about] outdoor areas,” he stated. “You probably wouldn’t be doing stuff you’d want to do in private outside a train.” 

Before teaching at Tech, Mr. Lopez worked with Perimeter Intrusion Detection System (PIDS) at John F. Kennedy International Airport. PIDS uses stationary cameras to detect intruders who may be entering secure areas. Lopez believes that this technology would be more cost-effective than drones.

“Drones require a remote pilot to operate, whereas PIDS does not,” he explained. “Stationary PIDS systems or motion detection systems would be more effective and cost-effective.”

However, drone operation costs may not be prohibitive. Drones specifically used in the program would be autonomous, not needing an operator to be flown out.

The newest 10 drones, two per command, will be deployed remotely and fly autonomously to an exact longitude and latitude. They would use the coordinates of a caller to instantly get directions and deploy to the source of the call.

Yet the cost of the DFR program remains unclear. In an interview, Adams revealed that, while it costs upwards of $2,000 to send a helicopter for surveillance of a crime, a drone would only cost 17 cents per launch, saving the NYPD both time and funds spent on a pilot. 

Transitioning to drones would not only cut down on operation costs, but also improve response times for emergencies.

Previously, the NYPD and the MTA attempted to combat subway surfing by playing PSAs, voiced by teenage actors, in train stations. The tagline “Stay Inside, Stay Alive” is a familiar refrain for regular commuters. 

Unfortunately, the often loud and busy nature of station platforms brings the effectiveness of such messaging into question.

“I don’t ignore [the PSAs] but it’s something I hear and I’m like, okay,”  said Mei Chen (‘26), a PharmD major who takes the train to and from school every day. “I know, as someone who doesn’t subway surf, I ignore [the public service announcements]. So if I wanted to subway surf, I would also ignore them.” 

If daily riders ignore the PSAs, it would seem even less likely they would dissuade someone intending to subway surf. 

“[I] didn’t think that people actually subway-surfed,” Chen shared, “[I have] never seen it with my own eyes. But now here we are.” 

Last school year, she was on the 7 train home when it was delayed due to subway surfers climbing on top of the train. “They walk[ed] past [me] through my train car, and then after closing the doors, they climbed up,” she explained.” It was delayed [for]…10 to 20 minutes.” 

Kong believes that social media is to blame for the increasing death toll of subway surfing.

“Chances are you see that video [of subway surfing] you’re probably gonna think, ‘I could probably do that and not get hurt,’”  he explained. 

With social media promoting subway surfing, the fad continues to potentially endanger the 350,000 students who ride the rails daily, and the extra measure of surveillance from drones could help keep students safe.

The DFRs program has been implemented in many states and countries to help stop crime more efficiently, and, after this test run in NYC, may become a daily sight for New Yorkers as well. 

In the meantime, readers may want to heed Kong’s advice: “If you want to surf, you might as well just do it in the ocean.”