P1.A 12-year-old girl died while “subway surfing” just days before her birthday — and her mother only found out the devastating news while watching TV.P1
A 12-year-old girl died while “subway surfing” just days before her birthday — and her mother only found out the devastating news while watching TV. The young girl had secretly snuck out of her home in the middle of the night to meet her 13-year-old friend before the two tragically lost their lives while riding on the outside of a moving subway train in New York City last week.
Now, outrage is spreading online, with many people harshly criticizing the mother for “failing to properly supervise her child.” Some are even calling for her to face legal consequences — demanding that she be jailed for negligence and lack of parental responsibility.
A 12-year-old girl snuck out of her home in the middle of the night to meet her 13-year-old friend before they both died while subway surfing in New York City last week. Now, officials have released the identities of the young victims. On Tuesday, Oct. 7, a spokesperson for the New York City Police Department (NYPD) confirmed to PEOPLE that 12-year-old Zemfira Mukhtaro from Brooklyn and 13-year-old Ebba Morina from Manhattan were found dead at the Marcy Avenue subway station in Brooklyn when authorities responded to a 911 call just after 3 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4.
In a previous statement to PEOPLE, New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) President Demetrius Crichlow said the tragedy involved subway surfing, or riding on the outside of a moving subway train.
“It’s heartbreaking that two young girls are gone because they somehow thought riding outside a subway train was an acceptable game. Parents, teachers and friends need to be clear with loved ones: Getting on top of a subway car isn’t ‘surfing’ — it’s suicide,” Crichlow said at the time.
He added that the families of the teens, as well as the transit workers who discovered the victims, were left “horribly shaken by this tragedy.”
Last year, four people died while subway surfing in New York City, the NYPD previously told PEOPLE.
Mukhtaro’s family realized something was amiss while watching the local news. The child’s mother, Nataliya Rudenko, told FOX affiliate WNYW that she was making breakfast with her 11-year-old daughter Maryam Mukhtarov, who recognized her sister’s skateboard and purse in the news footage.
“She said, ‘Mommy, that’s Zemfira’s,’” Rudenko told the outlet. “I said, no, it’s someone else’s.”
However, the items were her older daughter’s belongings. Investigators believe that Zemfira met the other girl on social media, and the two snuck out of their homes that Friday night for an adventure. Early the next morning, the teens’ bodies were found when the train pulled into the station, WNYW reported.
“She was supposed to be asleep in her room,” Rudenko told the outlet. “Now, we’re planning her funeral.”
Zemfira was just weeks away from her 13th birthday, and spent part of Friday night with her younger sister, ABC affiliate WABC reported. Maryam said Zemfira was her best friend.The two girls died while subway surfing on a J train in Brooklyn.
“She was always there for me. She was everything for me,” the 11-year-old told WABC.
As she grieves her older sister, Maryam spoke out to warn other kids about the dangers of subway surfing. She told the outlet that the thrill-inducing activity is “just not worth it.”
The young girl has taken some comfort through her faith, she said.
“I feel like it’s God’s plan… because what if he really needs her really badly,” Maryam told the outlet. The
Since the tragic incident, Zemfira’s dad Ruslan Mukhtarov created a GoFundMe to help cover funeral expenses. Describing the teen as “full of life,” the dad asked for help in navigating the “heartbreaking” loss.
“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,” wrote Ruslan, who did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
