Authorities in New York City have launched a hunt for two individuals, one of whom is clad entirely in pink, who are suspected of robbing an abandoned subway train after trespassing into a station and taking it.
The train theft occurred as more police personnel were sent to the country’s biggest metro system to confront an increase in crime. As part of a five-point plan to protect subway users, New York Governor Kathy Hochul even sent out troops from the National Guard.
Demetrius Crichlow, the interim president of New York City Transit, stated, “There’s no question it was an extremely foolish and reckless act by two individuals accessing live track in order to get access to our train,” during a news conference held on Wednesday morning to unveil a proposed $68.4 billion, five-year capital improvement plan for the century-old Metropolitan Transit Authority system.
The burglars, a man and a woman, took the abandoned train on Thursday just after midnight at the Briarwood subway station in the Queens borough, according to an incident report from the New York Police Department.
“These two individuals entered an unoccupied train and operated it, causing a collision and damage to the train,” as per the NYPD incident report.
Police said that the perpetrators left the scene on foot and that no injuries were reported. According to Crichlow, the train was pushed about fifty feet. As of Wednesday morning, no arrests have been made public, according to the police.
Before taking it for a brief joy ride, the pair was seen on surveillance cameras browsing through the empty train at Briarwood station, according to the police. According to authorities, one of the accused thieves was a woman with a medium build and complexion.
“She was last seen wearing a pink shower cap, a pink sleeveless shirt, pink shorts, and carrying a pink handbag,” as per the incident report.
A search is underway in New York City for two suspects, including one dressed all in pink, who allegedly crashed an empty out-of-service subway train after brazenly walking into a station and stealing it — via @ABC Newshttps://t.co/8IUHDHALPB pic.twitter.com/oG0lvKFkoN
— Bill Hutchinson (@bill_hutchinson) September 18, 2024
Police described her accomplice as a light-skinned man with a thin physique. He was wearing red shorts, a blue tank top, and a black backpack. According to Crichlow, the MTA has been installing security cameras on subway trains aggressively; now, around 70% of the fleet is equipped with cameras.
“We have great video, which has been turned over to the police, and we’re confident that they will get the people, the perpetrators in this case,” he stated.
Crichlow added that in order to keep burglars out of train operator cabins, New York City Transit and the NYPD collaborated to build new, stronger locks.
“We have a design in place. It’s just a matter of getting the actual parts and starting the installs,” Crichlow stated.
In less than eight months, it was at least the second subway train theft in New York City.
Two abandoned trains that were parked in a restricted area close to the Queens Forest Hills-71st Avenue subway station were taken by a group on December 30, 2023. According to the authorities, the group drove two lead train cars a short distance north after breaking into the operators’ cabins.
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In January, Hochul sent 1,000 state employees, including 250 state police troopers and MTA Police personnel, to support the NYPD in expanded luggage checks at heavily traveled subway stations. This was in the midst of a 45% year-over-year spike in transit crime in New York City, primarily caused by grand larcenies.
In addition, Hochul gave the order for the 750 members of the New York National Guard, who are presently assigned to the Joint Task Force Empire Shield, to be made ready to assist in searching subway passengers’ bags for weapons.
The most recent NYPD crime figures show that, as of Sunday, transportation crime has decreased by 5.4% from the same period in 2023.
