A teenage girl, who died while performing a dangerous stunt on the US subway, shared a video doing the same move just days before. Chilling footage shows Zemfira Mukhtarov, 12, walking along a beam on top of a train which drove below her at a dangerously fast speed. A separate TikTok clip shows the girl lying on the train track and filming the undercarriage of a passing subway train. On October 4, the 12-year-old was found dead on top of a train in Brooklyn alongside her friend, Ebba Morina, 13. The videos were posted just days before, on September 8 and 13.
The two teenage girls were discovered on the top of the last train carriage at around 3.10am local time, after the vehicle crossed Williamsburg Bridge and entered Marcy Avenue station. Footage from before their tragic death, posted by Morina, also showed her climbing the Brooklyn Bridge and wandering around empty subway stations.
In a clip from July 18, the 13-year-old videoed herself on a subway platform singing as a train pulled in behind her.
The two girls were reportedly part of a group of around 15 teenagers who were exploring the subway before they were found on the train’s roof.
Mukhtarov’s mother, Nataliya Rudenko, told Fox 5 New York that she spotted her younger daughter spotted her sister’s skateboard and purse on the TV while making breakfast.
“She was supposed to be asleep in her room,” she said. “Now we’re planning her funeral.”
The 12-year-old had “snuck out” of her home in Bay Ridge to go subway surfing – a stunt where people climb on top of trains and ride them at dangerous speeds – with Morina who she met online.
Mukhtarov’s father wrote on the GoFundMe page started by her family: “No parent should ever have to face the pain of losing a child, and no child should lose their life in such a tragic way.
“We are struggling to process this immense grief, and we are turning to our community for help to give Zemfira the respectful and loving farewell she deserves.”
The school Morina attended has since set up a tribute wall, where one person described her as a “smart, beautiful and ambitious child”.
Another note said: “You were always so nice, and so sweet.
“Every day of your life, you made people smile and laugh. You will always be in the memory of everyone in the school of Wagner.”
Justin Brannan, the New York City Council member who represents Bay Ridge, posted on X: “Bay Ridge tragically lost a young soul, Zemfira Mukhtarov, this past Saturday as a result of dangerous subway surfing.”
He added: “It is imperative that we speak to our kids about the grave danger [subway surfing] poses.”