A 57-year-old Ghanaian man, identified as Yaw Boahene, has died in New York City after the shopping bag he was carrying became caught in the closing doors of a subway train in Brooklyn.
The incident happened shortly before 6 p.m. on Monday, September 28, 2026, at the Utica Avenue station in Bedford-Stuyvesant, where Boahene was reportedly exiting a northbound A train.
According to police, the bag became trapped as the train doors closed. When the train began moving, Boahene was dragged toward the tracks and fell onto the roadbed.
Emergency responders found him unconscious and unresponsive on the tracks. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police identified the victim as 57-year-old Yaw Boahene. Reports said he was a Brooklyn resident, with authorities continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fatal incident.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority referred questions about the incident to the New York Police Department. The train operator and conductor were removed from service while the investigation continued, according to the Associated Press.
Authorities have said there was no indication of criminality in the incident at this stage. The city’s medical examiner will determine the official cause of death.
The fatal incident has renewed attention on subway safety, particularly the risks associated with passengers or belongings becoming caught in train doors as trains prepare to leave stations.
Boahene’s death has also prompted concern among members of the Ghanaian community following reports identifying him as Ghanaian.
Investigations into exactly how the bag became trapped and the circumstances surrounding the train’s departure are ongoing.
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