Newly released surveillance footage is sparking outrage after it captured the horrifying final moments of a Massachusetts father-of-two who became trapped in a subway escalator while nearly a dozen people walked past him without stepping in to help.
Steven McCluskey, 40, was heading down an escalator inside the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority’s Davis Station in Somerville just before 5 a.m. on February 27 when tragedy struck. According to newly obtained video reviewed by NBC10 Boston, McCluskey appeared to lose his footing near the bottom of the escalator before his clothing became caught in the moving machinery.
What followed was a terrifying struggle that lasted several minutes.
The footage reportedly shows McCluskey desperately kicking and flailing as he tried to free himself from the still-moving escalator. At one point, a passerby briefly stopped and appeared to try helping him — but then walked away.
Even more disturbing, roughly a dozen other commuters could reportedly be seen walking right by the trapped man. Some glanced at him briefly. Others barely acknowledged him at all.
It took an astonishing 18 minutes before someone finally called 911.
And according to the report, it was more than 22 minutes before an MBTA employee arrived and pressed the escalator’s emergency stop button.
“That’s way too long,” escalator safety expert Robert Cotton told NBC10 Boston. Cotton, who has more than 40 years of experience overseeing escalator infrastructure, blasted the delayed response and argued transit officials failed in their duty to protect the public.
“[The MBTA] breached that duty,” he said. “If somebody had knowledge of it, that should’ve been acted upon immediately.”
By the time first responders reached McCluskey, he reportedly had no pulse. Officials said his clothing had been pulled so tightly into the escalator that it constricted his throat. Parts of the skin on his back had also become trapped in the machinery.
Rescuers spent around 30 minutes freeing him from the escalator. Although they were eventually able to restore his pulse, McCluskey suffered catastrophic injuries. He later slipped into a coma and died 10 days afterward.
The heartbreaking death has left his family devastated — and furious.
“I want to make sure that there’s somebody or something held accountable for the fact that my brother wasn’t protected in a public space,” his sister, Shannon Flaherty, told the outlet.
His grieving mother, Mary Flaherty, fought back tears as she described watching people seemingly ignore her son while he suffered.
“Nobody cared. Nobody stopped. Nobody took the time to help, to make sure that he was OK,” she said. “If somebody took that minute, he would be here today.”
“He was a somebody. He had a life. We loved him. They treated him like he didn’t exist.”
According to his obituary, McCluskey was a self-employed carpenter known for his humor, generosity, and willingness to help others whenever they needed it.
“He had a way of talking with people for hours, sharing stories, offering advice, and helping however he could,” the obituary stated.
The MBTA has called the incident a “terrible accident” and emphasized that anyone can stop an escalator using emergency stop buttons located nearby.
Still, the disturbing footage and delayed response are now raising major questions about safety inside Boston’s transit system — and whether this father’s death could have been prevented.
An investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
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