MTA Worker Lied About Being Slashed Inside NYC Subway Station: Police

NEW YORK CITY — A 54-year-old MTA worker reportedly lied to authorities about being slashed inside a New York subway station last month in an attempted to get time off work, according to authorities.

Henry Herring, a cleaner, claimed he was working at the Jamaica-179th Street station in Queens on July 31 around 4 a.m. when he got into an argument with another man, who subsequently slashed him on both hands before running away, police said.

Police determined after reviewing surveillance video that the MTA worker had not been attacked.

Herring has been charged with falsely reporting a crime, and the MTA suspended him without pay.

The 54-year-old man told police his goal was to have the summer off because "it was too hot down there," according to a criminal complaint and a New York Post report.

Herring told police he was unaware that there were surveillance cameras on the subway platforms.

In a statement following the incident, the MTA said: "Assaults on MTA employees are a real issue and the NYPD has made real progress identifying and capturing perpetrators. What's alleged in this case is beyond disappointing, pulling resources from investigations of actual crimes, while undermining confidence in the safety of the transit system."