FDNY Frees Toddler's Arm From Subway Doors

A 2-year-old child was freed after an arm became trapped in a subway train door at the Flushing Avenue and Broadway station in Brooklyn early on May 20, according to police and local news reports. FDNY firefighters and other first responders removed the child’s arm from the door after the incident on the J line, police said. News 12 reported the child was taken to a hospital and was expected to be OK. Video of the rescue later circulated on local television and social media. The incident happened at about 1 a.m. at the station in Bedford-Stuyvesant, according to police as cited by News 12. Patch and CBS New York identified the location as the Flushing Avenue station, and Patch reported that FDNY firefighters helped free the child after the arm became stuck in the subway doors. The reports did not identify the child or say how long the rescue took. ### Where did the child’s arm get stuck? The J train was at the Flushing Avenue and Broadway station when the child’s arm became caught in a door, according to police accounts carried by News 12 and other outlets. Patch described the location as an NYC subway station at Flushing Avenue and Broadway, while CBS New York said video showed the incident at Flushing Avenue station. Local reports differed slightly on whether the child’s hand or arm was trapped. News 12 referred to the child’s hand, while Patch and CBS New York described the limb as an arm. None of the reports reviewed for this story said the child suffered life-threatening injuries. ### Who helped free the child? FDNY firefighters were part of the response that freed the child, Patch reported. Video described by Patch, CBS New York and other outlets showed passengers near the train door as responders worked at the platform. Asianet Newsable, citing police, reported that passengers and an MTA worker also tried to help before firefighters arrived. That account said the train remained stopped during the rescue. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority did not immediately appear in the reviewed reports with a public statement naming the employee or describing the sequence in detail. ### What do officials say about the child’s condition? Police told News 12 that the child was transported to an area hospital and was expected to be OK. Asianet Newsable similarly reported that police said the child was expected to recover. No age beyond 2 years old, hospital name or medical update was included in the reports reviewed. The child’s identity was not made public. ### Why did the video spread? CBS New York aired video on May 21 showing the rescue at the station. Patch also published a report and video item that identified the rescue as involving FDNY firefighters and a 2-year-old child. The footage drew attention because it showed a small child pinned by a subway door while passengers and emergency crews worked in close quarters on the platform. None of the reports reviewed included a formal MTA safety bulletin or a service advisory tied to the incident. ### What remains unclear? The MTA and FDNY had not, in the reports reviewed, publicly released a detailed explanation of how the child’s arm became trapped or whether the train door malfunctioned. Local reports stated only that the limb became stuck in the door while the train was at the station. The next public record is likely to come from additional reporting by local outlets or any statement issued by the MTA, FDNY or NYPD about the May 20 incident at Flushing Avenue and Broadway.