Carpenter dad-of-two, 40, died after getting trapped in Boston subway station escalator - and more than a dozen people walked past him without helping

Published: 14:47, 16 May 2026 | Updated: 14:53, 16 May 2026 A carpenter who was a father-of-two died in a freak escalator accident while more than a dozen people walked past him without trying to help.  Steven McCluskey, 40, lost his balance going down the escalator at Davis Station in Somerville on February 27 just before 5am.  New surveillance video released by the MBTA on Tuesday showed that more than a dozen people walked by McCluskey as he struggled without pausing to help.  One man even watched for several moments before simply turning around and heading the other way.  McCluskey lost his balance at the bottom of the stairway and fell just before stepping off, causing his coat to get caught in the bottom of the machine.  McCluskey appeared to struggle at the bottom, attempting to unzip his coat and wiggle himself free, to no avail.  As his clothing lodged deeper into the machinery, the fabric tightened around his neck, constricting his airway.  After a few moments, he collapsed, motionless on the stairway. Steven McCluskey lost his balance at the foot of an escalator at a Boston subway station. More than a dozen people walked past him as he lay dying Paramedics are seen working on McCluskey. He was killed after the escalator pulled a piece of clothing around his neck and strangled him  After more than 20 minutes, an employee arrived and stopped the escalator. Medics showed up a few moments later, reported the Boston Globe.  Somerville police reported that the man was 'pinned at the bottom of the escalator.' According to their report, he was 'unresponsive, bare-chested and his clothing was tightly lodged within the escalator steps.'  'I immediately assessed McCluskey for a pulse and detected none,' the report said.  Somerville firefighters administered a dose of Narcan and medics issued several rounds of CPR before McCluskey began breathing again.  McCluskey's sister, Shannon Flaherty, told NBC Boston that her brother had struggled with drug addiction in recent years.  'He did his best every single day to show up for the people that he loved in the ways that he could,' she said.  McCluskey was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was in a coma for ten days before succumbing to his injuries on March 9.  According to his obituary, McCluskey was the father of two young boys and a hard-working carpenter.  Steven McCluskey, 40, died after being caught in a Boston escalator as dozens of people walked by 'He loved creating things and took satisfaction in seeing a job through from start to finish,' it said. 'Above all, he loved being a father to his two sons, Shayne and Steven, who meant the world to him.' McCluskey had six siblings, two of whom predeceased him.   The MBTA called McCluskey's death a 'terrible accident' and encouraged riders to help if they see someone in trouble.  'It is important that the public knows that anyone can stop an escalator in an emergency by pressing the red button labeled "STOP" at the top and bottom of each escalator,' read their statement.  'They should also then immediately call 911. MBTA personnel respond swiftly to all emergencies and do everything they can to assist individuals and secure the situation.' McCluskey was the father of two young boys and an avid carpenter The Middlesex District Attorney's Office will continue to investigate McCluskey's cause and manner of death.  McCluskey's family has encouraged the MBTA to 'take accountability' for his death.  'And be able to state that they failed him, rather than being able to say the MBTA did nothing wrong,' Shannon said. 'That’s the main thing I don’t want.' The Daily Mail contacted the MBTA and the Somerville Fire Department for more information.   The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.