A man has died after his shopping bag got trapped in a closing train door and dragged him onto the tracks in New York City.
Yaw Boahene, 57, was exiting a subway train during Monday evening rush hour when the bag he was carrying got stuck in the door, police said. He was leaving the train at a Brooklyn station around 6 p.m. when the bag snagged in the closing doors. Within seconds, the Brooklyn resident was pulled onto the tracks and run over by the train as it left the station, according to a police statement.
Pronounced dead at the scene
Officers arrived to find Boahene “unconscious and unresponsive” on the train tracks, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators said Boahene was dragged backward, pulled between train cars and ultimately onto the tracks.
Investigation and MTA response
The medical examiner’s office will determine the cause of death. The police investigation is ongoing. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the subway system, said both the train operator and conductor have been removed from service, as is routine while the investigation continues.
The agency said the train was one of the fleet's newest models. It was inspected after the man's death and also previously in July, and no mechanical issues were found.
Similar past incidents
Dragging deaths happen from time to time on the nation’s largest subway system. In 2022, a 20-year-old commuter was killed after his backpack or a piece of his clothing got stuck in the door as he was trying to get onto a train at the Columbus Circle station in upper Manhattan.
