New Yorker identified as Yaw Boahene, 57, killed after bag was caught in subway train doors

A man in Brooklyn, New York, died after his bag got caught between the doors of a subway train, which then dragged him down.

The incident happened on Monday when the man, identified as 57-year-old Yaw Boahene, was leaving a Manhattan-bound train at the Utica Avenue station in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighbourhood when his shopping bag became caught between the subway’s doors.

The man was subsequently dragged backwards, pulled between train cars and onto the tracks, ABC7 reports, citing investigators.

New York police, who received a 911 call about the accident at about 6.05pm ET on Monday, said that Yaw Boahene was from Brooklyn.

“Upon arrival, officers were informed that a 57-year-old male was discovered unconscious and unresponsive on the roadbed of the northbound ‘A’ train. EMS responded and pronounced [the man] deceased [at the] scene.

The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death, and the investigation is ongoing,” New York police said in a statement.

Speaking to ABC7, a witness said she was returning home from school when the incident unfolded, prompting people on the subway platform to panic.

While subway accidents are rare, in 2022 a 20-year-old man was killed after his clothes were caught between the doors of a 1 train at Columbus Circle station in Manhattan during rush hour.

According to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees New York City’s transit system, subway customer accidents increased slightly in 2025 by 2%. However, the MTA noted, “ridership grew at a greater rate than accidents,” adding: “As a result, the 12-month rate decreased by 4.7%.”

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