Still ‘unclear’ how 57-year-old man got caught in A train door, dragged to his death: MTA official

MTA New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow — during the Sept. 30 MTA board meeting — said what the agency does know is that the deceased straphanger, identified by the NYPD as Yaw Boahene, boarded a Manhattan-bound A train at the Rockaway Av station around 5:48 p.m. on Sept. 28.

Boahene was carrying a blue plastic bag, Crichlow said, and used a cane, but was “very unsteady” on his feet when he got on the train. He rode for two stops to the Utica Av station and got up, but was still unsteady on his feet when exiting the train.

Crichlow said that while the MTA had clear video footage of Boahene getting on and off of the train, it did not have a direct camera view outside of the door where he exited.

“It’s unclear at this point how he came into contact with the train,” Crichlow said. “Did he stumble? Did the bag get caught? Did the cane get caught? Did he step in between the gap? That we’re unsure [about].”

That uncertainty differs from initial police reports that said Boahene’s bag got caught in the door as it closed. They indicated that he then got dragged by the train down the platform until he slammed his head into a pole.

But MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber also sought to emphasize that it remains unclear if Boahene’s bag getting caught in the doors was the factor that led to him becoming entangled with the train.

“There was nothing attached to this man that got stuck in the car,” Lieber said. “He was carrying this blue plastic bag, and people have surmised that that may have become entangled. But…so far we don’t have any proof of that.”

Crichlow added that train conductors have the responsibility of observing the platform as they close the doors and the train departs the station. He said that both the conductor and the train operator have been removed from service pending the outcome of two investigations: an internal MTA probe and a separate one led by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

“Whether or not that was done is currently under investigation,” Crichlow said of the conductor’s responsibility to observe the doors closing and the train as it leaves the station.

The NYC Transit boss added that the MTA has already reviewed the train’s last inspection from July, when it found the doors to be in good working order. The train came online in 2024. 

He said that instances of passengers getting ensnared in subway doors are quite rare due to the equipment being made to minimize the risk of that occuring.

“The equipment itself is designed to prevent this from happening,” Crichlow said. “I’m sure many have had something, whether it’s a shoe or your actual backpack, get caught in the doors and the doors will open back up.”