Twelve-year-old Zemfira Mukhtarov, who died along with a teen friend subway surfing together on top of a Brooklyn train, was supposed to make brownies with her dad but sneaked out of the house instead, the grieving father told the Daily News.
Ruslan Mukhtarov described his daughter as unique and “honest to a fault” even after she left their Bay Ridge home without his permission before dying Saturday.
And even though he acknowledged the girl was responsible for her own fateful choice, he said, there was plenty of blame to go around for her tragic death — from the influence of social media to busy parents to the MTA for not having more safeguards.
“The day before her death, we planned to bake brownies together,” said Mukhtarov, an immigrant from Azerbaijan who is a woodworker. “Hers were the best I’d ever tasted. It was her idea to sell them at the local market, and I wanted to support her.
“But we never got the chance.”
Zemfira would have turned 13 later this month. She is among the youngest of the city’s subway surfing victims in recent memory. Last September, 11-year-old Cayden Thompson was killed subway surfing in Park Slope. His mother told the Daily News he was lured by social media.
Courtesy of family
Zemfira Mukhtarov, 12. (Courtesy of family)
Mukhtarov said he had a message for parents still fortunate enough to be able hug their children at night.
“If I’d had more time amid the challenges of immigration, maybe this wouldn’t have happened, though nothing’s guaranteed,” Mukhtarov said.
“The lesson I’ve learned is to be grateful for the moments we create with family, not the obstacles that derail us. Give more love and time to your loved ones — a good memory will stay with you forever, even after an unexpected loss we can’t predict.”
Mukhtarov is pushing for more safety measures in the wake of the death of his daughter, who he described as “incredibly sociable.”
“She made new friends every day, and people were naturally drawn to her,” Mukhtarov said. “I always wanted to be more than just her dad. I wanted to be her friend, but I struggled with that. I envy parents who build true friendships with their kids, without the constant fear that comes with traditional parenting.”
Courtesy of family
Zemfira Mukhtarov (right) with her father, Ruslan Mukhtarov. (Courtesy of family)
One of Zemfira‘s friends was a 13-year-old girl who climbed to the top of a train with her early Saturday, according to cops.
The two teens were found sprawled out on top of the last car of a J train after it entered the Marcy Ave. subway stop at Broadway around 3:10 a.m. The train had just come across the Williamsburg Bridge from Manhattan.
Each teen suffered a head injury and died on top of the train, cops said.
The 911 call came from a fellow subway surfer who was with the two girls at some point during the incident, a police source said Monday.
Zemfira‘s dad said he thinks both girls would be alive if kids spent less time on their phones watching videos.
“That’s where she learned about this dangerous ‘game’ of risking your life for thrills, like extreme climbing on trains and bridges,” he said. “It’s a key factor I wish I’d known about sooner.“
The deaths were the latest in a string of subway surfing incidents.
In Queens, about 11 hours before the girls died, a 14-year-old boy was rushed to an area hospital after he fell off the top of a Manhattan-bound No. 7 train leaving the Main St. station, the first station on the line.
The child suffered deep cuts to his face when he hit the roadbed.
In July, a 15-year-old boy died as he tried to ride the top of a subway train at a Queens station, police said. Cops called to the Queensboro Plaza station found the teen lying unconscious on the train tracks for the No. 7 line at about 2:45 a.m., police said.
Courtesy of family
Zemfira Mukhtarov, 12. (Courtesy of family)
With the two girls’ deaths on the J train Saturday morning, five people have now been killed subway surfing so far this year in New York City. Last year, a total of six people lost their lives doing the dangerous stunt, while five died riding atop subways in 2023, according to NYPD statistics.
Meanwhile, subway surfing arrests have also fallen this year by 25%, down from 162 by the end of last September to 128 this year, police said.
The trend has continued despite a public service campaign to discourage kids from riding outside trains. Officials have launched drones to try to catch the daredevils in the act.
A total of 229 subway surfers were arrested in 2024, and 135 were arrested in 2023, cops said.
Originally Published: October 6, 2025 at 3:49 PM EDT
