Skip to content
Bramble

US

Man killed after bag caught in subway door at Utica Avenue, Brooklyn

A 57-year-old man, named as Yaw Boahene, died Monday evening at Brooklyn's Utica Avenue station after a bag caught in a train door and he was pulled onto the tracks. Outlets differ on the bag type and on how much detail they give.

6 outlets · 2L · 1C · 3R First reported Account updated

Updated (version 4). New coverage since the last version from Daily Mirror.

Image: New York Post
Image: South China Morning Post
Image: The Independent
Image: Daily Mirror
Image: Fox News
Image: Washington Examiner

1 / 6

The story, neutrally told

A man was killed at a Brooklyn subway station on Monday evening after a bag caught in a train's doors and he was pulled onto the tracks. The New York Post's early report, which did not name him, put the incident at about 5:50 p.m. and said witnesses reported his bag was trapped as the train pulled away. Later reports named him as Yaw Boahene, 57, of Brooklyn, and put the incident at about 6 p.m.

The Post called the item a backpack, while the other five outlets called it a shopping bag, citing police or the New York Times. Police said he was run over as the train left the station; officers found him "unconscious and unresponsive" and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said no criminality is suspected, and the medical examiner will determine the cause of death while the investigation continues.

Citing NBC 4 New York, the Washington Examiner said video shows him holding a cane and the bag, and that police are also checking whether his foot was caught between the train and platform. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority directed questions to police, according to The Independent. In the AP report carried by the South China Morning Post and repeated by the Daily Mirror, it said the operator and conductor were removed from service, as is routine, and that the newer-model train had no mechanical issues when inspected after the death and in July. Outlets described such deaths as rare and cited earlier cases, including a 2022 death at Columbus Circle; Fox added that a 2019 Grand Central case was later found not to involve a caught bag.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.

Left2 outlets

Framing
Short wire-style reports on a 'freak accident' and a 'horror' death, relying on the police statement; the Mirror adds the MTA's mechanical-check details.
Emphasis
Police statement, cause of death pending, MTA response.
Leaves out or plays down
Neither mentions the video, the foot-caught line of inquiry or the Utica Avenue name in the text.
Charged language
“Horror”“tragically died”“freak accident”
For example
“Within seconds the Brooklyn resident was pulled onto the tracks and run over by the train as it left the station, police said in a statement.” — Daily Mirror
“A Brooklyn man was killed in a freak accident after his bag got stuck in a subway train door in New York City, according to police.” — The Independent

Centre1 outlet

Framing
Plain AP account attributing details to police and the MTA.
Emphasis
MTA statement that operator and conductor were removed from service and the train had no mechanical issues.
Leaves out or plays down
No station name, video or foot-caught inquiry.
Charged language
“dragged to death”
For example
“The agency said the train was one of the fleet’s newest models.” — South China Morning Post

Right3 outlets

Framing
Most varied detail: the Post's early 'freak accident' report, Fox's list of past incidents and the Examiner's video and foot-caught detail.
Emphasis
Location detail, video footage, earlier fatal cases.
Leaves out or plays down
None of the right outlets report the MTA's removal of staff or mechanical inspection.
Charged language
“freak accident”“straphanger”
For example
“A straphanger was killed in a freak accident when his backpack got caught in the subway door during rush hour Monday night” — New York Post
“video footage shows a man holding a cane and the bag that was eventually caught” — Washington Examiner