Suspect Sought For Pulling Emergency Brake On Subway Train

NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The MTA suspects a group of anarchists have been the cause of hundreds of train delays over the years by pulling emergency brakes on subway trains.

MTA officials say a pattern has emerged of a person, or persons, on a number of occasions, applying a subway train's emergency brakes after having used a key to enter a supposedly secure control area.

The NYPD has released video of one man who they say gained access to the rear train car of a northbound 2 train on West 14th Street on May 21, opened the rear door and rode several stops on the outside of the car and activated the emergency brake.

The suspect was last seen wearing a black New York Yankees cap, a black Nike t-shirt with the words "SWAG DON'T COME CHEAP" on the front, baggy khaki pants and white and black sneakers.

Officials believe the group was behind a number of delays on the No. 2 and No. 3 trains Tuesday evening. Transit President Andy Byford called the train stoppers “morons.”

“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,” MTA chairman Pat Foye said Wednesday.

“In some cases then they have run off down the track, so it's a double whammy because not only will you put a train into emergency, a train's brakes going into emergency so the train's stopped, they’re then running along the tracks. So now, we're having to take the power off in order to find these idiots,” Byford said.

The NYPD has been notified of the issue and Byford notes the MTA and police officers “will hunt them down.”

Officials have asked the public to help catch the cord-puller.