Abroad
“Nobody cared. Nobody stopped. Nobody took the time to help, to make sure that he was OK.”
May 18, 2026, 12:50 PM
Surveillance footage has drawn attention online after showing a man in the U.S. attempting to free himself after becoming trapped in an escalator.
During the struggle, commuters allegedly walked by without helping, according to the New York Post.
Steven McCluskey, 40, became trapped in an escalator at a train station in Massachusetts on Feb. 27.
He was reportedly heading down the escalator at about 5am when he appeared to lose his balance and fall near the bottom of the moving stairway, according to NBC10 Boston.
Surveillance footage later showed that his clothing had gotten caught in the machinery.
CCTV footage showed him struggling
A 57-minute CCTV recording showed the 40-year-old attempting to free himself from the still-moving escalator, with his legs flailing.
One passerby was reportedly seen briefly attempting to help, but eventually walked away.
After a short struggle, McCluskey was seen lying motionless on his back.
The footage appeared to show multiple commuters walking past McCluskey, with some briefly looking in his direction while others continued on.
According to reports, it took about 18 minutes before a passerby finally called emergency services.
CCTV footage also showed that more than 22 minutes had passed before an employee from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) made contact with McCluskey and pressed the emergency stop button, a response time experts later questioned.
One escalator expert later criticised the delay as being “way too long”.
By the time first responders arrived, McCluskey reportedly had no pulse.
Rescuers managed to free him about 30 minutes later and restore his pulse before he was taken to hospital in critical condition.
He subsequently fell into a coma and died 10 days after the incident.
Family searching for answers
The MBTA described the incident as a “terrible accident.”
According to NY Post, the transport authority said:
“MBTA personnel respond swiftly to all emergencies and do everything they can to assist individuals and secure the situation.”
McCluskey’s family, however, said they wanted answers and accountability.
“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 reportedly told NBC10.
His mother, Mary Flaherty, also questioned why more people had not intervened.
“Nobody cared. Nobody stopped. Nobody took the time to help, to make sure that he was OK.”
Investigations into the incident are ongoing.
