Nationwide — Zackery Nazario, a 15-year-old African American teen from New York Metropolis, died whereas subway browsing in 2023. His mom now blames social media platforms for feeding him harmful content material and has taken authorized motion.
Zackery was a historical past lover who dreamed of becoming a member of the Marines. On February 20, 2023, he boarded the J prepare together with his girlfriend. They climbed between transferring vehicles and onto the roof. Because the prepare crossed the Williamsburg Bridge, Zackery was struck by a beam and fell to the tracks. He died immediately.
His mom, Norma Nazario, 54, says she didn’t notice how deeply Zackery had fallen into social media. He acquired his telephone for after-school use, however quickly grew to become obsessive about Instagram and TikTok. She didn’t know he had downloaded TikTok till after his loss of life.
Norma believes Instagram and TikTok confirmed her son subway browsing movies that influenced him to attempt it. Each platforms say such content material is banned, however Norma discovered Zackery’s telephone intact on the scene and noticed what he had been watching. That second pushed her to behave.
In 2024, Norma sued Meta, TikTok, and the MTA, claiming Zackery was “focused, goaded, and inspired” to subway surf. The MTA was dismissed from the case, however the claims towards the tech corporations stay. A Manhattan decide lately dominated the case may transfer ahead, rejecting their immunity defenses.
Zackery’s loss of life is a part of a rising development. NYC noticed 5 subway browsing deaths in 2023 and three extra by mid-2025. Different cities like San Francisco and Washington, D.C., have additionally reported fatalities.
The MTA has responded with public campaigns, sensors, and redesigned trains. However Norma says that’s not sufficient. On the one-year anniversary of Zackery’s loss of life, she acquired his highschool diploma.
“I’m not going to cease,” she says. “Till it stops eternally.”
