The mother of a 12-year-old girl who tragically passed away while attempting risky social media challenges has shared the heartbreaking story of how she pleaded with her daughter to stop, only to have her sneak out at night to film another dangerous video.
Zemfira Mukhtarov, a 12-year-old girl from Brooklyn, lost her life in a subway surfing incident after posting harrowing daredevil videos on TikTok, including one where she lay on train tracks, in the days leading up to her untimely death.
Images and videos of young Zemfira were featured by the New York Post, revealing her obsession with risky social media stunts despite her parents’ desperate pleas for her to cease. Her mother expressed her concerns, warning Zemfira of the dangers and urging her to reconsider.
Despite her mother’s warnings, Zemfira continued to take extreme risks, even going as far as posting a TikTok video of herself lying on subway tracks as a train passed over her. Tragically, she met her demise near the Marcy Avenue-Broadway station in Brooklyn, New York City.
Upon returning from work, Ms. Rudenko discovered that her adventurous daughter had sneaked out of the house in the early hours of the morning while her younger sister and father were asleep. Shortly after, around 3:10am, both Zemfira and her 13-year-old friend, Ebba Morina from Manhattan, were found unconscious near the Williamsburg station and were later pronounced dead.
Zemfira, at just 12 years old, had developed a fixation on performing stunts, including subway activities, sneaking into vacant mansions, and climbing tall building structures, occasionally sharing these exploits online.
Ms. Rudenko revealed that she was not acquainted with the other girl found with her daughter, speculating that the two may have met online. Police reported the presence of up to 15 young individuals inside the train before the tragic incident. Zemfira’s father, Ruslan Mukhtarov, initiated a GoFundMe campaign to cover his daughter’s funeral expenses and memorial service, with donations amounting to nearly AU$25,000 (£12,299) raised to date.
City officials continue to caution teenagers and young people against subway surfing, emphasizing the risks associated with these acts, which have led to the deaths of six individuals last year and five in 2023.
This incident follows the tragic death of an 11-year-old British boy, Tommie-Lee Gracie Billington, who suffered a suspected cardiac arrest after engaging in a hazardous social media trend called ‘chroming,’ as reported by his family. Chroming involves inhaling toxic substances such as paint, solvents, aerosols, cleaning products, or petrol, resulting in adverse effects on the central nervous system and potentially life-threatening consequences.
Tina Burns, Tommie-Lee’s grandmother, urged social media platforms to take greater responsibility in protecting children from such harmful trends after her grandson’s fatal experience.
A TikTok spokesperson addressed concerns but stated that there was no indication of chroming being a TikTok-specific challenge or trending on their platform.