Commuters Walk Past Man Trapped in Escalator

Newly released surveillance footage has revealed the heartbreaking final moments of a Massachusetts father-of-two who became trapped in an escalator at a Boston-area subway station while commuters passed by without intervening.

Steven McCluskey, 40, was riding down an escalator at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Davis Station in Somerville shortly before 5 a.m. on Feb. 27 when he apparently lost his balance and fell near the bottom of the moving stairs, according to NBC10 Boston.

Video obtained by the station shows McCluskey’s clothing becoming caught in the escalator mechanism. As the escalator continued moving, he struggled desperately to free himself. One passerby briefly attempted to help before walking away.

The footage, which spans nearly an hour, shows McCluskey flailing for several moments before eventually lying motionless on his back. During the incident, numerous commuters walked past him — some pausing briefly to look, while others appeared not to notice him at all.

According to NBC10, it took approximately 18 minutes before someone finally called 911. Several minutes later, an MBTA employee arrived and activated the emergency stop button.

Transit safety expert Robert Cotton criticized the delayed response, telling NBC10 that the timeline was unacceptable. Cotton, who has more than 40 years of experience overseeing escalator systems, said public transit agencies are held to the highest standard of safety care.

“That’s way too long,” Cotton said, adding that the MBTA failed in its responsibility to respond immediately once the emergency became apparent.

By the time first responders reached McCluskey, he reportedly had no pulse. A Somerville Fire Department report stated that his clothing had tightened around his neck after being pulled into the escalator, restricting his breathing. The report also noted that skin from his back had become trapped in the machinery.

Rescuers managed to free him after roughly 30 minutes, and he briefly regained a pulse before being transported to a hospital in critical condition. McCluskey later fell into a coma and died 10 days afterward.

McCluskey, a carpenter who owned his own business, was remembered in his obituary as someone with a “stubborn spirit, quick sense of humor, and deeply caring heart.”

His family says watching the surveillance footage has been devastating and they are demanding accountability from the MBTA.

“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 NBC10.

His mother, Mary Flaherty, expressed anguish over the lack of intervention from bystanders.

“Nobody cared. Nobody stopped. Nobody took the time to help, to make sure that he was OK,” she said through tears. “If somebody took that minute, he would be here today.”

The MBTA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.