The MTA’s new “modern” fare gates have claimed yet another victim, this time catching the head of a 5-year-old girl, sending her to the hospital with swelling, according to her mother and the FDNY.
The kid’s head got stuck between the doors at the Broadway-Lafayette station around 1:40 p.m. on Dec. 19.
She was taken to New York Presbyterian hospital, according to the FDNY, who said the child had been freed from the terrifying experience by the time first responders arrived.
Her mother told PIX11 a bystander helped free the young girl.
Disturbing video of the aftermath showed the young girl’s brother screaming and crying after being separated from his family amidst the chaos.
The incident comes after a viral video showed a woman with her head stuck between the new turnstile doors at the same station.
After the video was posted, a technician at a Bronx station told The Post the only way to free someone from the gate’s jaws is to shut off the automated door and open it manually.
Despite the mishaps, the MTA is still running the $1.1 billion test of the new gates the agency has consistently described as “modern.”
The designs are meant to keep people from sneaking in without paying the $2.90 fare, according to the MTA, but fare beaters are easily defeating the technology, while other riders are trapped and injured by the new quick-moving doors.
“The new fare gates are a pilot program using technology from transit systems around the world. As we evaluate their performance, we’re learning more every day about how to design modern, effective fare gates for New York City,” a spokesperson from the MTA said Wednesday.
The MTA issued the exact same statement Monday when The Post witnessed half a dozen people defeat the technology, with one MTA worker telling a reporter she has seen people get their heads or belongings stuck in the swiftly closing gates.
After a December board meeting, MTA Chairman Janno Lieber said the MTA had been working for two weeks to install and test the gates.
“We want to make sure that they’re operating properly,” he told reporters Dec. 17.
The MTA will pilot three different kinds of fare gates, all designed to curb fare evasion, at 20 stations throughout New York City, with installation at 150 stations planned from 2026 onward.
The MTA lost about $400 million to subway fare evasion over the past year.
The Post asked the MTA Wednesday if the transit agency was keeping track of how many riders had been injured since the gates launched. A spokesperson did not respond.
The MTA issued a press release on New Year’s Eve of “25 Things the MTA Is Proud of in 2025.” The release did not mention the “modern” fare gates.
