Heartbroken American Parents, Who Lost Their Kids to Subway Surfing Urge Teenagers to Stay Away

Subway surfing has been the talk of the town ever since this dangerous stunt has cost many young lives. Approximately 5 lives have been suspected to be lost in 2023 due to this stunt. No parent ever wants to hear of their child’s death. Unfortunately, the parents of a Maryland teenager had to face this devastating reality. The cause of the young boy’s miserable fate was the stupid fad of subway surfing. Since the incident in June, the parents have entered into a contest with the social media world that glorifies dangerous stunts.

Desikan Thirunarayanapuram and his wife, Vaishali Honawar, lost their only child, Jay Thirunarayanapuram, in a subway surfing accident. Throughout their initial period of mourning, both parents were overzealous in their demands for safety protocols. Many thought that this fervent plea would die down with time, but they could not have expected what happened next.

Parents of subway surfing victim on a crusade

Urban exploration by means of subway surfing, parkour, freerunning, etc., is all the rage right now with teenagers. Social media has added to the allure of these dangerous practices. TikTok and Instagram are full of videos of youngsters capturing their antics in abandoned buildings and off-limit areas. One such area is the subway where Jay Thirunarayanapuram lost his life when he slipped and fell in front of the Red Line train at the Rhode Island Metro stop. The accident took place on June 20, merely five days after the teen turned 15.

His mother, Vaishali Honawar, revealed that the urban explorers constantly egg each other on for more dangerous exploits. Speaking to Moco 360, Honawar said, “They would say to him, ‘You’re a legend.’ And gave him these great compliments. So there’s that sort of validation, a lot of it coming from the social media community”. Like most young teenagers, Jay Thirunarayanapuram was a frequent user of Instagram.

After his passing, his parents looked through his phone to find out that Jay was an active member of the urban exploration community. He had become bored of casually roaming in abandoned properties and began subway surfing. However, his mother charged social media as a culprit, saying, “When he posted his train surfing photos, he would get more likes than he normally did”. As they waded further into the online world, they discovered that they were not alone in this grief.

United against the perilous trend

Jay Thirunarayanapuram delved deeper into the urban exploration community and found examples of many victims. From their social media exchanges with them, the parents found out that the victims knew about the dangers of the trend. To make things worse, the group believes that continuing the trend would be a fitting tribute to their fallen members.

Their vehement protest against the subway surfing trend was brought before Congress by Rep. Jamie Raskin. In his address to the prestigious house, the representative called out Meta and TikTok for their lack of proactive measures in curtailing this trend.

Read More: “There’s a Limit:” Mother Raises Concern Over Deadly Subway Surfing Trend After Horrifying Fate of 15-Year-Old Son

The tech giants have made it illegal to share videos of dangerous stunts, but the urban exploration community is still thriving. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has also condemned the subway surfing trend and has promised to formulate policies to stop it. Jay Thirunarayanapuram’s parents will keep up the fight and also bring more support for their noble cause.

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