An investigation is underway to determine how a 17-year-old member of a Guildford-based parkour collective died after suffering fatal injuries on the Paris Metro network on New Year's Eve.
Nye Frankie Newman died in hospital on New Year's Day after a night spent celebrating with his girlfriend. Tributes have poured into his now memorialised Facebook page and almost 400 people registered their interest in attending a memorial event planned for 1 March in Guildford, Surrey, on what would have been his 18th birthday.
Friends stress Newman wasn't taking part in "trainsurfing" – riding on top of a train – at the time of the injury.
Rikke Brewer, co-founder of the Brewman parkour group – the name is a portmanteau of Newman and Brewer – told The Sun: "He was leaning out of the window trying to take pictures and struck a sign or something at the side of the tracks."
Brewman members have uploaded videos of their many stunts, including trainsurfing on the Paris Metro on 29 November.
RATP, the French state-owned rail company, said in a statement that a Metro driver was alerted to an accident by a young man on the platform at Daumesnil station in the east of the city at about 11.20pm on New Year's Eve.
"Medical care was provided to the victim that was taken to a hospital by 00:00. A police investigation is ongoing to determine the exact circumstances of this tragic accident," the statement said.
"From what witnesses have told to RATP staff, the victim was between two wagons at the time of the accident for an unknown reason so far. The ongoing investigation will have to clarify this point."
The statement added: "The victim was a member of a 'trainsurfing' crew seen on the metro line 6 in early December, facts for which RATP had filed a complaint.
"RATP reminds that illegal behavior presents high risks for those who would try to do so."
Newman carried out spectacular stunts across the world in 2016. In a Facebook post on New Year's Eve, just 24 hours before his death, he recounted his trips to 16 different countries and shared an image of his feet dangling off the side of a Hong Kong skyscraper.
Brewman, which is raising money for Newman's family, said in a Facebook post: "Nye was an incredible human being who was always up for anything, he experienced things in his short life, that many won't experience in their life times."
"He was always up for anything, and he always gave a positive outlook to any situation. He inspired so many people through his enthusiastic lifestyle and the assisted creation of Brewman."
"He was the type of guy who had no regrets in his life and lived everyday like it was his last. He loved travelling the world and meeting new people, he loved spending time with his friends and he loved training with such a passion. He always had such a great sense of humour and made everybody he knew have a top laugh."