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NEW YORK (AP) — A video that appears to show young people
operating an above-ground subway train while a transit worker
stands by has drawn the ire of New York City transit leaders,
who said Wednesday that an investigation is under way.
The video posted to TikTok first shows one boy sitting at the
controls, at one point honking the horn as the employee stands
off to the side.
“Go,” the man calmly tells him as the train passes an empty
platform during the daytime ride. “Go, go, go it's green.”
Later, a second boy wearing an orange safety vest, is in the
driver's seat while the employee holds a coffee cup in one hand
and taps on his cellphone with the other. Both boys appear to be
in their teens.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority did not respond to
questions about when the video was taken and whether the
employee had been identified. The train was not in passenger
service, the agency said, adding that passengers are never
allowed in non-public areas.
“What appears on those videos is reckless and unacceptable," an
emailed statement from NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow
said, "and any transit worker who permits unauthorized,
untrained people to operate trains will face consequences,
including termination of employment and prosecution to the
extent allowed by law.”
An investigation is under way, Janno Lieber, chairman and CEO of
the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said.
“I can’t comment on the investigation,” Lieber said when asked
about the video at an unrelated news conference Wednesday. “I’ll
give you my opinion. Somebody who lets people who are not
qualified and certified and fully trained to drive a train ought
to be fired. That’s my opinion.”
In January, police released images and video of six individuals
who they said commandeered an unoccupied train and took it for a
joyride.
In September 2024, police said two teenagers took an empty
subway train for a brief joyride that ended when it crashed it
into another parked train car. No one was injured.
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