Brake-Pulling Bandits Wreak Havoc On Subway, MTA Boss Says

NEW YORK — MTA officials are hunting for at least one miscreant who has been terrorizing straphangers by pulling subway trains' emergency brakes on purpose.

Transit officials suspect a person or group of people is sneaking into the cabs of trains and activating the emergency brake inside, New York City Transit President Andy Byford said Wednesday.

The brake-pulling bandits then surf on the back of the train or scurry away along the tracks, leaving straphangers stuck inside the stopped cars, according to Byford. It could be an inside job — Byford suspects the culprit or culprits have keys to the cabs.

"We will hunt them down. We’re not going to leave any stone unturned," Byford told reporters after an MTA Board meeting. "As I said earlier it’s stupid, it’s dangerous and it’s selfish, and we intend to nail them."

The MTA has seen a rash of unexplained cases of emergency brakes being activated in the last few weeks, Byford said. Officials are still sussing out a pattern, he said, but most of the incidents have hit the 2 and 5 lines.

The attacks are reportedly not a new phenomenon. The culprit has disrupted commutes weekly on average for several months, according to Jalopnik, which first reported on the pattern Wednesday. MTA Chairman Patrick Foye said the issue "may have been happening for several years," Curbed reported.

"This is life or death stuff involving really complicated, dangerous machinery that could endanger the lives of transit workers just doing their jobs and our customers," Foye told reporters.

The villains are especially troublesome when they escape along the tracks because transit workers then have to cut the power, which leaves more trains stuck, according to Byford.

A train's emergency brakes could be operated for several reasons, Byford said, such as if it goes too fast or an operator unintentionally drops the handle.

"But too often we’re finding that we get a brakes-in-emergency incident that can’t be explained and if we find that it’s because the emergency brake in the cab has been operated, then that’s clear evidence of malfeasance," he said.

The MTA is looking for witnesses and footage of the culprits, Byford said. He said he wants to present evidence of the pattern to the NYPD so police can help hunt them down.

"I would love to be able to catch these people, I would like them to face the consequences of their actions and I’d like to ban them from the subway," he said. "Right now we don’t have that power. We’re actively seeking it."