New York police say subway passenger died after bag caught in closing door

A 57-year-old man was dragged onto the tracks and killed by a New York subway train after a bag he was carrying became caught in the closing doors, police said. Yaw Boahene was leaving the train at a Brooklyn station at about 6pm on Monday during the evening rush hour when the incident occurred. His bag, described by police as a shopping bag, snagged in the doors as they closed.

Police said Boahene was pulled onto the tracks and run over when the train departed. Officers found him unconscious and unresponsive on the tracks, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The medical examiner’s office will determine the cause of death.

Police said their investigation remains ongoing, and the supplied material does not identify the station or provide further details about how the doors closed. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates New York’s subway system, said both the train operator and conductor had been removed from service while the investigation continued. The agency said that such action was routine after an incident of this kind.

According to the MTA, the train was one of the system’s newest models. It was inspected after Boahene’s death and had also been inspected in July, with no mechanical issues found in either inspection, the agency said. Fatal dragging incidents have occurred before on the subway system.

The report cited a 2022 death in which a 20-year-old commuter was killed after a backpack or part of his clothing became caught in a train door while he was trying to board at Columbus Circle in Manhattan. The available account does not say whether any mechanical fault, operator action or other factor contributed to Monday’s incident. Those questions remain subject to the police and transport authority investigations.