Subway
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Some kids are living life fast, figuratively and literally. A group of teenagers decided to take a New York City train for a spin and shared their joyride on social media.
It seems Mayor Eric Adams needs to reconsider how the city’s public transportation is being guarded during off hours. As spotted on Newsweek, a group of youths took advantage of a security lapse on Saturday evening and stole an empty “R” train at the Forest Hills-71st Avenue station in Queens around 10:20 p.m. MTA officials told local police that the group drove the train “a short distance” and broke several windows in the process. It is believed they gained entrance with a set of staff keys.
The unidentified youngsters filmed the act and shared it to Instagram. “Cover your faces,” one of the voices said in the video. Another chimes in saying, “Cover your face, b***h.” The footage shows the kids driving the vehicle within the subway tunnels. Luckily, security cameras captured the crew entering the train prior to their joyride.
“They obviously knew something about both where the train was and how to operate a train, and how to get the keys,” transportation expert Robert Paaswell told CBS News. “Once you start it, it’s just a throttle, and you use the throttle to move it and to slow it down.” The suspects have yet to be apprehended. An MTA official tells CBS “New York City Transit is working with the NYPD on their investigation of this incident.”
You can see footage from the joyride below.
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Source: Alexi Rosenfeld / Getty
Some kids are living life fast, figuratively and literally. A group of teenagers decided to take a New York City train for a spin and shared their joyride on social media.
It seems Mayor Eric Adams needs to reconsider how the city’s public transportation is being guarded during off hours. As spotted on Newsweek, a group of youths took advantage of a security lapse on Saturday evening and stole an empty “R” train at the Forest Hills-71st Avenue station in Queens around 10:20 p.m. MTA officials told local police that the group drove the train “a short distance” and broke several windows in the process. It is believed they gained entrance with a set of staff keys.
The unidentified youngsters filmed the act and shared it to Instagram. “Cover your faces,” one of the voices said in the video. Another chimes in saying, “Cover your face, b***h.” The footage shows the kids driving the vehicle within the subway tunnels. Luckily, security cameras captured the crew entering the train prior to their joyride.
“They obviously knew something about both where the train was and how to operate a train, and how to get the keys,” transportation expert Robert Paaswell told CBS News. “Once you start it, it’s just a throttle, and you use the throttle to move it and to slow it down.” The suspects have yet to be apprehended. An MTA official tells CBS “New York City Transit is working with the NYPD on their investigation of this incident.”
You can see footage from the joyride below.
Bad Bunny tried out his subway busking skills on Monday (Jan. 13), just before taking the on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon stage as both a musical guest and co-host. In photos shared exclusively via Billboard ahead of the episode, the duo are seen in long curly wigs and matching beards, dressed in 1960s-inspired attire as Fallon […]
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Everyone is aware that air pollution has been a problem for decades now, but a new study is finding that Black and Hispanic people are more susceptible to its negative affects in New York City.
Gothamist is reporting that the toxic air in the New York City subway system is having an impact on low-income riders, who happen to be Black and Hispanic men and women, due to their longer commutes and train transfers throughout the day. With that being the case, commuters are being exposed to tiny particles, known as particle matter, which can enter the lungs and make its way into the bloodstream causing all kinds of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
Masoud Ghandehari, a professor of civil and urban engineering, says that he actually tends to “hold my breath before I come out of the station because I know that’s when the concentrations are up,” whenever riding the subway as the “air quality in New York’s subway system exceeds the World Health Organization’s exposure guidelines by up to 15 times.”
But it doesn’t stop there. He also found other disturbing data.
Gothamist reports:
He said the research found that longer commutes with more transfers and time spent waiting on platforms led to higher exposure to polluted air. Black and Hispanic riders experienced 35% and 23% more polluted air, respectively, compared to Asian and white commuters, Ghandehari said.
“When the train comes by, all the metal in the bottom of the tunnel gets turned up,” he said. “Every time the door opens, concentrations in the train go up because the outdoor environment, the platforms, are higher in concentration.”
The paper showed the stations with the highest levels of particulate matter are 168th Street and 181st Street on the 1 train, Bowling Green’s 5 line, the Broadway-Lafayette B station and the High Street train.
Ghandehari’s team developed an online map so straphangers can plot their typical commute and approximate their particulate exposure.
Yeah, people might want to actually wear N95 masks again whenever riding public transportation in New York City. This time around, it’s not to protect themselves from COVID.
Still, MTA Communications Director Tim Minton didn’t agree with Ghandehari’s findings and said his research has been debunked in the past.
“This recycled ‘study’ based on years-old ‘data’ has long since been debunked,” Minton said in a statement. “Every serious person knows transit is the antidote to climate change, the one reason NYC is the greenest city around, and an engine of equity for people of all communities who need an affordable, safe way to get to jobs, schools and opportunities of every kind.”
Yeah, we’re leaning towards going with the professor on this one. No shots.
Are y’all going to take heed and wear masks when riding the subway in New York City? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Now that the COVID-19 pandemic is considered a thing of the past and people have resumed living their everyday lives as if the coronavirus has magically disappeared (it hasn’t), many people still wear face masks whenever going out in public to protect themselves from catching the dreaded virus.
But according to the Gothamist, that may no longer be an option for people taking public transportation as New York Governor Kathy Hochul is considering banning protective masks in the New York City subway system after videos of masked anti-Israel protestors causing a ruckus in a subway car earlier this week hit social media. In the video that made the rounds on the internet, masked pro-Palestinian protestors took to the 14th Street subway station and hopped on a train where they asked the riders to “Raise your hand if you’re a Zionist,” and if so “this is your chance to get out…”
We wonder if they would’ve jumped anyone who claimed to be a Zionist. Just sayin.’
Still, the video was enough for the New York Gov. to consider a partial ban on people wearing face masks on the train as anti-Israel protests continue to rise out in the streets of New York with some people looking to take their pro-Palestine views above and beyond their call of duty.
The Gothamist reports:
In a news conference at the state Capitol on Thursday, Hochul said she has started discussions with Mayor Eric Adams and state lawmakers about what a mask crackdown would look like and how to craft exemptions for health and religious reasons. The mayor’s office confirmed it was looking into the issue.
But Hochul made clear she wants to see mask restrictions in some form, which she believes would help deter crime on public transit.
“We will not tolerate individuals using masks to evade responsibility for criminal or threatening behavior,” Hochul said. “My team is working on a solution, but on a subway, people should not be able to hide behind a mask to commit crimes.”
During an appearance on the “Cats & Cosby” radio show Wednesday evening, Adams compared protesters who cover their faces to the Ku Klux Klan.
“Cowards hide their face,” the mayor said. “Dr. King did not hide his face when he marched and for the things he thought were wrong in the country. Those civil rights leaders did not hide their faces. They stood up. In contrast to that, the Klan hid their faces.”
While we’re all for a free Palestine and want a stop to the atrocities that’s going on in Gaza, it’s things like this that turn people off from the cause who may not even have an opinion on the matter.cNow people who religiously wear face masks on the train to keep from catching COVID might be upset that they can’t protect their health because of a protest they may not even be a part of.
No word on whether or not a face mask ban will actually happen but if things like this keeps happening, it’s only a matter of time before it does.
What do y’all think of Gov. Kathy’s proposed face mask ban? Let us know in the comments section below.
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A columnist’s criticism of the New York Police Department’s handling of subway crime led to department heads blasting him and Mayor Eric Adams chiming in.
The topic of crime in New York City’s subways has been a heated one, and a new column taking the NYPD to task for not having plans to aid those mentally ill despite the increase in officers present has compelled the department to lash out in posts on social media, with Mayor Eric Adams also chiming in. The column in question was written by columnist Harry Siegel and published in the New York Daily News Saturday (March 30). Siegel criticized department chiefs for making television appearances downplaying the trouble and pointing to the amount of officers, especially after high-profile incidents including a person being shoved off the platform in East Harlem last week.
Siegel was attacked by NYPD Head of Transit Michael Kemper in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Your readers deserve more accurate reporting. This article is filled with misleading and straight up false information,” Kemper wrote, adding that Siegel incorrectly listed 10 deaths that had occurred in the subway system this year instead of four.
The newspaper would issue a correction afterward, but that didn’t stop NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kay Daughtry from also leveling a personal insult toward Siegel. “We are the police. And you are a gadfly — who should consider revising their definition of madness to: reading a Siegel column expecting a useful takeaway,” Daughtry wrote. NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell would go on to blast Siegel’s column on Sunday, saying it “demonstrates the overall disdain for the NYPD.” He would also call Siegel “anti-cop” in an interview on 1010 WINS Monday. Siegel would admit his error but also fired back at the police brass in a post, calling it “Incredible cop talk.”
Mayor Adams offered his two cents after both police representatives spent three days haranguing Siegel during his weekly press briefing Tuesday (April 2), calling Siegel’s column “distasteful” as it was published on the day of Officer Jonathan Diller’s funeral out on Long Island. “What you saw from Chell and Daughtry, you saw a human reaction,” he said. Adams has been particularly sensitive after coming under fire in an interview with activist and lawyer Olayemi Olurin on The Breakfast Club where she took him to task for “fear-mongering” and the NYPD’s racial profiling.
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New York City has been struggling with rising crime rates for a few years now, and though the rate has been dropping across the city in recent months, crime inside the subway system has still proven to be problematic.
Looking to tackle the growing problem, Governor Kathy Hochul has decided to take things up a notch and is now deploying the National Guard to patrol New York City subways to help curb criminal activity.
According to Raw Story, Governor Hochul announced Wednesday (March 6), that she has called on the National Guard to provide 750 troops to help the NYPD maintain peace and order in the crime-ridden subway system throughout the five boroughs of New York City along with 1,000 members of state personnel. Just last week, a train conductor was inexplicably slashed on his neck when he peaked out the window of his train car to check the platform. That act might’ve been the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Naturally, many New Yorkers took issue with the decision as it will have New Yorkers feeling like they’re living in a police state (in the subway at least), but the outcry doesn’t seem like it’ll have Hochul backtracking anytime soon.
Per Raw Story:
“The service members of the New York National Guard are always ready to assist our partners as they ensure the safety and security of our fellow citizens,” said the force’s commander Major General Ray Shields in Hochul’s statement.
Hochul, who is responsible for the state-run authority that runs New York City public transit, highlighted the weekend case of a man kicked onto the tracks at New York’s busy intercity Penn railway station.
“Three people rushed to save him, pull him back into safety,” she said in a briefing. “These brazen, heinous attacks on our subway system will not be tolerated. People worry they could be next, anxiety takes hold. (Passengers) shouldn’t worry the person sitting next to them is carrying a knife… that’s what we’re going to do with these checkpoints.”
People will be randomly chosen for bag checks in subway stations and violent passengers will even be banned via a new program. How they’ll go about enforcing that ban is anyone’s guess. Will they use face recognition technology or something? Should be interesting to see how that plays out.
No word on how long this new extreme measure will last but this has the potential to end badly as New Yorkers are known for their “f*ck off” attitudes.
Be safe out there, y’all.
What do y’all think of Kathy Hochul’s decision to deploy the National Guard in the New York City subway system? Let us know in the comments section below.
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New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority approved the first fare increases for its transit system in four years, citing them as “necessary.”On Wednesday (July 19), the MTA Board unanimously voted to increase the subway fares from $2.75 to $2.90. The first fare hike in four years also applies to the buses in the citywide system. In addition, fares will also go up by 5% on the tolls at the city’s bridges and tunnels from $6.55 to $6.94. For those without an E-Z Pass, they will see a 10% increase. Those changes will go into effect Aug. 6, while the subway and bus fare increases take effect on Aug. 20.“We’re making good on this last brick in this amazing edifice that is the restoration of the MTA’s financial stability. It is an important moment,” MTA Chair Janno Lieber said after the decision. “It is not without its downsides because anytime you’re asking people to pay a little more, you know that has consequences.”
Board members declared that the fare increase was “necessary” and “healthy,” as it struggles with a reported $48 billion debt. Deputy chair Jai Patel stated that the increase will help the MTA “keep up with inflation, avert radical fare and toll fluctuations and mitigate impacts on customers by offering a predictable increase schedule.”
Other changes include the express bus fare now being increased to $7, and the seven-day fare going up two dollars to $64. Also, monthly unlimited Metrocards will now be $132 and seven-day unlimited Metrocards will be $34. Metro-North & Long Island Railroad fares will rise 4%. Reduced fares for seniors and others will remain in place.
The board had previously paused talks and plans to increase the fare biannually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which the MTA states led to its current status. The next item will be the congestion pricing plan, which the MTA hopes to enact for vehicles below 60th street in Manhattan by the end of spring next year. It faces opposition from delivery drivers and livery drivers, who protested outside of MTA headquarters yesterday.
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Subway crime in New York City has been steadily getting worse over the past few years. And just when it seemed to be dying down, things now seem to be heating up in the beginning of the summer months.
According to Gothamist, this weekend saw five slashings and stabbings take place in the subway system, which included four incidents taking place near or on the 4 train. To make matters worse, one of the most serious violators is still on the loose as police haven’t been able to track him down.
The Gothamist reports:
Police are searching for a man who reportedly slashed three women in two separate locations along the 4-line, late Sunday afternoon. The three victims were transported to the hospital and one is being treated for a severe injury, police said Monday.
At around 4 p.m. Sunday, the suspect slashed a 19-year-old woman on the leg as she departed the 4 train at the 86th Street and Lexington Ave station on the Upper East Side, police said. Moments later, cops say he slashed another 48-year-old woman on the leg before boarding a southbound 4 train and slashing a 28-year-old woman, 15 minutes later.
Then, on Sunday morning, police found 32-year-old Bronx resident Tavon Silver stabbed to death on a southbound 4 train at Union Square after responding to a 9-1-1 call of a man slumped over in the cart.
But it doesn’t stop there as a 31-year-old was stabbed in the chest on a Manhattan-bound J train on Sunday (June 18), at 2 a.m.
More from Gothamist:
As of Sunday, the J train victim was in stable condition recovering at Kings County Hospital and no arrests had been made in any of the stabbings.
Police are requesting that anyone with information on the incidents call the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS.
Be safe out on the train, y’all.
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Weeks after being seen on video choking Jordan Neely on a subway train, Daniel Penny publicly speaks about being charged with Neely’s death.
Penny spoke out about the incident for the first time in an interview with Dana Kennedy of the New York Post in a Long Island enclave not far from where he grew up. The 24-year-old, who is facing manslaughter charges for the killing of Neely, claims that his move to put the 30-year-old houseless man in a chokehold “had nothing to do with race.”
“I judge a person based on their character. I’m not a white supremacist,” Penny continued. “Everybody who’s ever met me can tell you, I love all people, I love all cultures. You can tell by my past and all my travels and adventures around the world. I was actually planning a road trip through Africa before this happened.”
The former Marine said he was on his way to the gym after going to school when he encountered Neely on the northbound F train on May 1st. He alleged that Neely was invoking “terror” and was “menacing”. “I can tell you that the threats, the menacing, the terror that Jordan Neely introduced to that train has already been well documented. I don’t think it’s going to even be controverted,” he said to Kennedy. Penny also seemed to suggest that he would do what he did again. “You know, I live an authentic and genuine life,” he said. “And I would — if there was a threat and danger in the present.”
Penny was asked what he’d say to Neely’s family, who buried him last Friday (May 19th). “I’m deeply saddened by the loss of life,” he said. “It’s tragic what happened to him. Hopefully, we can change the system that’s so desperately failed us.” Lennon Edwards and Donte Mills, the lawyers representing Neely’s family, ripped the interview, calling it disgraceful and an attempt to whitewash Penny. “There’s no remorse,” Mr. Edwards said. “There is no accountability. There was no acknowledgment he killed someone.”
Penny was blasted by Reverend Al Sharpton in his eulogy for Neely, focusing on the way Penny has been treated by the media at large and argued that if Neely was a white Elvis Presley impersonator and Penny was Black and choking him, police “would not have let that Black guy leave the precinct that night.” Kennedy informed Penny of those comments, who nodded and said he was “not sure” of who Sharpton is. “I don’t really know celebrities that well,” he said.