The Chair That Broke The Subway

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, NY — A red chair with metal legs caused a meltdown of the New York City subway system when it was thrown on the tracks. And, despite snarling the city's transportation infrastructure for more than 20 minutes, the seat survived totally unscathed.

Gilberto Ramales, 24, tossed the chair onto the trackbed of the Jay Street-MetroTech Center station at 11:23 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the MTA and NYPD.

A Brooklyn-bound A train pulling into the station had to squeal to a halt inches before hitting it, according to photographs, and passengers had to walk to the front of the train to disembark, according to witness Robert S. Anthony.

Two legs of the chair were close to the third rail of the tracks, forcing workers to turn off the power to get rid of it, a spokeswoman for the MTA said.

The A train faced delays for nearly 20 minutes until emergency officials could get the chair off the tracks, the MTA said.

Ramales was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment by police, a spokesman for the NYPD said.

The chair stayed intact during the whole incident and was left safely by firefighters at the corner of Jay and Willoughby streets, Anthony said.

Image: Robert S. Anthony