11-Year-Old Boy Falls 25 Feet Through Subway Grate In Brooklyn Playground

An 11-year-old boy fell 25 feet through an open subway grate while playing at a Brooklyn playground Wednesday afternoon.

The boy was playing next to the Rudd Playground in Brownsville near the intersection of Bushwick Avenue and Aberdeen Street. He then went into a fenced-off area and fell through the grate that had accidentally been left open and landed on the Bushwick Avenue-Aberdeen Street L train station, reported ABC7.

The incident was reported after 5 p.m.

"He didn't realize that there was an open hole so when he ran he just fell," eyewitness Shania Crayton told WABC-TV.

The boy's pregnant mother reportedly tried to jump through the grate but half a dozen men, who were playing basketball nearby with the boy's father, worked together to help rescue the boy. The men even used a dog leash to pull the boy, witnesses claimed.

The boy, whose identity has not been revealed, sustained a few minor injuries. He was immediately brought to Kings County Hospital to receive medical attention, NBC New York said in a report.

According to an employee from the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks), the subway grate in question is typically secured from public access by a safety fence around and above it. However, the recently installed fence at the park was vandalized and peeled back, compromising its safety.

In a statement, NYC Parks said that the "health and safety of this child is on hearts and minds. We are happy to hear that they were safely removed from inside the subway grate that runs through Rudd Playground by Good Samaritans."

Following the incident, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) took action by boarding up the hole and securing the fence. It also released a statement.

"Our thoughts are with the child and his family," MTA said. "We have dispatched a team to investigate what occurred and ensure the site is safe and secure. The safety of New Yorkers is always our top priority."