’TURNSTILE JUMPERS CHALLENGE’: Viral TikTok development mocks NYC’s ‘foolproof’ $1.1 billion subway turnstile upgrades

New York City’s $1.1 billion effort to curb subway fare evasion is facing hilarious scrutiny, as a viral TikTok trend dubbed the “Turnstile Jumpers Challenge” shows how easy it is to bypass the system. The challenge includes social media users filming themselves vaulting, climbing, or prying open the MTA’s newly installed fare gates, which have been touted by city officials as a foolproof upgrade—but in reality, it’s anything but.

One particular group staged a recent late-night “Fare Evasion Olympics” at Manhattan’s Broadway-Lafayette Street station, turning the evasion into a competitive sporting competition equipped with gold medals and a $3 cash prize, the cost of a subway ticket. The competition, organized by comedian Danny Fisher, featured a pole dancer, a parkour athlete, and a rock climber who took home the gold medal by scaling the overhead scanners. 

MTA workers reportedly watched the evasions occur but did not intervene. “It’s insane how easy it is,” said Fisher, highlighting the ineffectiveness of the so-called improvements, the New York Post reported.

Another fare evader who has recently gone viral is Brooklyn content creator Kiingspiider (@officialkiingspiider), who has posted TikTok videos of himself and his friends riding scooters through entrances, performing Spider-Man-style vaults, prying glass doors open, and tossing a bonnet over sensors to trigger alarms while swinging through the turnstiles. In an interview, he told Fox5NY that the city needs “to focus more on safety and the service of the subway system,” rather than flashy new barriers.

The MTA dismissed the viral stunts as “minor-league trolls,” telling the network in a statement: “This is a free pilot program with technology from leading companies in the world, and so far most riders seem to like it. The opinions of minor-league trolls who steal rides from New Yorkers for internet attention are less of a concern.”