MTA Train Crew Unaware of Fatal Dragging Incident Until Radio Alert, NTSB Finds

On the evening of Sept. 28, a 57‑year‑old Brooklyn resident, Yaw Adu Boahene, stepped onto the Manhattan‑bound platform at Utica Avenue and, moments later, found himself being pulled onto the tracks by a passing A train. The incident, which left him dead at the scene, was not immediately known to the train’s crew.

According to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board, the train’s operators continued northward, oblivious to the victim’s fate, until a radio alert buzzed through at the Jay St.–MetroTech station—more than three miles away. It was only then that the crew learned a passenger had been dragged.

Security footage from the train’s onboard cameras captured Boahene moving unsteadily toward the door, clutching a cane and a blue plastic bag. After stepping off the ninth car of the ten‑car R211 train, he was pulled by the rear carriage as the train departed Utica Avenue.

NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow has said the conductor is expected to monitor the platform before departure, and the department is now reviewing whether that protocol was followed. An immediate inspection of the train found no fault with the door‑closure or “indication” systems designed to stop a train if a door is obstructed.

The NTSB’s involvement is notable; federal investigators rarely step into subway accidents. They previously declined to probe a 2024 Q‑train door‑injury and a 2022 dragging at the same line. However, the board has examined similar tragedies before, including a 2021 BART case where a passenger was dragged by his dog’s leash.

Investigators are still piecing together exactly how Boahene was caught by the moving train and what safeguards might prevent a repeat. As NTSB spokesperson Keith Holloway put it, the goal is to understand what happened, why it happened, and whether any safety upgrades can be made to keep future riders out of harm’s way.