Surveillance footage from the MBTA's Davis Square station shows Steven McCluskey getting trapped at the bottom of an escalator in the early morning hours of Feb. 27, lying there as riders pass by. An MBTA worker eventually hits the emergency stop more than 20 minutes later, and McCluskey dies days after he is freed. His family says the video makes one thing painfully clear: his death could have been prevented.
What the video shows
Surveillance video obtained by NBC10 Boston shows McCluskey stepping onto the escalator just before 5 a.m. on Feb. 27, falling at the base and becoming entangled while more than a dozen people walk past him. About 18 minutes go by before anyone calls 911, and more than 22 minutes pass before an MBTA employee finally presses the red emergency stop button. First responders find his clothing pulled deep into the machinery and initially think they may have to dismantle the escalator to free him. McCluskey dies 10 days later from his injuries, according to NBC10 Boston.
MBTA response and investigation
Asked about the footage at a meeting in the State Transportation Building, MBTA General Manager Phil Eng does not mince words. “Obviously, this is a tragedy,” he says, adding that safety and reliability remain top priorities for the agency. Eng says crews inspected the Davis Square escalator after rescuers freed McCluskey and put it back into service, reporting no mechanical problems. Payroll records show the on-duty inspector clocked in at 4:45 a.m. that morning. The Middlesex District Attorney's Office is keeping its investigation open and is awaiting a ruling from the medical examiner, per NBC10 Boston.
Why riders may have looked the other way
To social psychologists, the Davis Square footage looks grimly familiar. They point to the classic “bystander effect,” where uncertainty about whether something is an actual emergency, combined with a sense that “someone else will handle it,” keeps people from stepping in. Amherst College psychologist Catherine Sanderson details that research in her book Why We Act and argues that clear cues and one person speaking up can often flip the script and spur a crowd to help, according to Google Books.
Escalator safety and the bigger picture
The incident is also reigniting long standing worries about MBTA escalator maintenance. The Boston Globe has documented multiple serious escalator malfunctions on the system over the years and has cited experts who say rigorous monthly maintenance and regular brake testing are critical to avoiding catastrophic failures. The Globe has reported that many MBTA escalators are decades old and that prior breakdowns have led to legal claims and lawsuits, putting maintenance contracts and the agency's oversight under renewed scrutiny.
Family demands answers
McCluskey's mother and sister say they had never seen the Davis Square surveillance video until investigative reporters showed it to them, and they are now pushing the MBTA and local officials for answers and accountability as the DA's investigation continues. The agency, for its part, is urging riders to hit emergency stop buttons and call 911 if they see trouble on an escalator, while the family and advocates call for clearer safety measures and staffing changes at busy stations.
