A man in Boston was strangled by his clothing and died after he was caught in a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority escalator, according to local media reports.
Steven McCluskey, 40, died from “hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy following asphyxia by strangulation,” according to his death certificate, which was viewed by NBC 10. The ruling means he suffered from a lack of blood and oxygen to his brain.
McCluskey was riding the escalator at Davis Square station in Somerville on February 27 when he stumbled and fell near the bottom of the machine. His clothes became entangled with the escalator’s mechanisms, cutting off his ability to breathe.
Surveillance video obtained by NBC10 shows passengers walking by McCluskey, apparently unaware that he was in distress. The footage shows that it took more than 20 minutes before an MBTA employee arrived at the scene and used an emergency override to stop the escalator.
Dr Knarik Arkun, the director of neuropathology and autopsy service at Tufts Medical Center, told the broadcaster that ultimately the lack of blood reaching McCluskey’s brain is what killed him.
“The longer the brain suffers a no-oxygen injury, the harder to recover,” Arkun told the outlet. “It’s going to be basically like a strangulation, like someone putting a string around your neck and pulling it. And there’s not much you can do.”
Following the NBC10 investigation, the MBTA began running public service messages warning riders about the dangers of clothing getting caught around the transit system’s escalators and pointing them to the emergency stop buttons.
McCluskey’s sister, Shannon Flaherty, reviewed the footage obtained by NBC10.
“Regardless of what his cause of death was, nobody should be there for 18 minutes, unconscious, being strangled by their own clothes, not able to yell for help,” she said.
MBTA General Manager Phil Eng told the broadcaster that the incident was a “tragedy.”
“Obviously, this is a tragedy,” Eng said. “Safety, reliability of the system, is paramount. We certainly understand that this was an unfortunate incident for this gentleman, and his passing is something that is very disheartening.”
When Eng was asked if more staff are needed at MBTA stations, he said that more bodies would not have necessarily made a difference in McCluskey’s case, but more vigilant riders might have.
“This is where we need the public to support us,” Eng said. “Help one another. Speak up. Let us know, alert us to it. That’s the way we can not only make sure riders are safe, but one day, you might need that help.”
According to public records pulled by NBC10, there have been more than 250 escalator injuries at MBTA stations since the beginning of 2025 through mid-may of 2026.
In 67 of those incidents the injured had to be taken for medical treatment.
According to MBTA’s data, approximately 800,000 to 900,000 riders use the service each month.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities is investigating McCluskey’s death,
The Independent has requested comment from the MBTA.
