FDNY Frees Toddler's Arm in Subway

A 2-year-old child was hospitalized after the child's hand became stuck in a J train door at the Flushing Avenue and Broadway station in Brooklyn early on May 20, according to police and local television reports. First responders, including FDNY firefighters, removed the child's hand from the door after the incident at about 1 a.m., News 12 reported. Police said the child was taken to an area hospital and is expected to recover. Video of the rescue later circulated on social media and was aired by CBS New York. ### Where did the child's hand get stuck? The Flushing Avenue and Broadway station on the J line was the site of the incident, police told News 12. The station is in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant area, and the child was on or near a stopped train when the hand became trapped in a door. News 12 reported that the hand was caught in a train door, and first responders freed the child at the scene. CBS New York identified the location as Flushing Avenue station in its video report on May 21. ### When did it happen, and who responded? Police told News 12 that the incident happened at about 1 a.m. on Wednesday, May 20. The child was 2 years old, according to the same report. First responders removed the child's hand from the door, News 12 said. Other reports describing the same incident said passengers, an MTA worker and FDNY firefighters helped free the child, though the clearest verified local reporting identified first responders and FDNY personnel at the scene. ### Was the child seriously hurt? Police said the child was transported to an area hospital and is expected to be OK, according to News 12. No further details on the child's injuries, identity or condition were immediately released in the reports reviewed. CBS New York's video report on May 21 showed footage of the incident but did not add medical details beyond confirming the location. The available public reports did not say how long the child's hand was trapped. ### Why did the video spread? CBS New York aired video on May 21 showing the child's arm stuck in the subway doors at the station. The footage appears to show bystanders and responders gathered around the train as they worked to free the child. Social media distribution pushed the incident beyond local transit riders. Several outlets republished or summarized the clip after it began circulating online, with accounts emphasizing the child's age, the late-night timing and the rescue response. ### What do the public reports still not answer? Police and the local TV reports reviewed did not say whether the child was boarding, exiting or standing near the door when the hand became trapped. The reports also did not identify the train operator, say whether service was delayed, or indicate whether the Metropolitan Transportation Authority planned any review. The MTA had not been cited in the public reports reviewed with a detailed explanation of how the door trapped the child's hand. News 12's report remained the clearest account of the time, location and medical outcome. May 21 was the date CBS New York aired the video, and May 20 was the date police said the incident occurred. Any further public accounting is likely to come from the NYPD, FDNY or the Metropolitan Transportation Authority if those agencies release additional details or footage.