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Man Is Charged With Pulling a Subway Emergency Brake. Is He the Subway Saboteur? Man Is Charged With Pulling a Subway Emergency Brake. Is He the Subway Saboteur?
(about 1 hour later)
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As officials scrambled to solve mysterious subway disruptions caused by someone pulling the emergency brakes, a New York City police supervisor spotted a familiar face in a surveillance photo. Isaiah Thompson was fixated on New York City subway trains. For years, he had surfed on them, jumped on the tracks and hung off the back of cars zooming through transit tunnels.
He said he recognized the man in the photo as Isaiah Thompson, a 23-year-old Brooklyn man who had a history of causing disturbances on subway trains. Seven times, Mr. Thompson had been arrested and charged with riding the outside of trains. But that fascination may prove his undoing. A police supervisor recognized Mr. Thompson’s face in surveillance photos released as officials scrambled to solve mysterious subway disruptions caused by someone pulling emergency brakes.
The connection made by the police supervisor led to the arrest on Friday of Mr. Thompson, who was charged with reckless endangerment and criminal trespassing. He was accused of riding on the back of a subway train on the No. 2 line on Tuesday in Manhattan and activating the train’s brakes, the police said. On Friday, Mr. Thompson, 23, of Brooklyn, was arrested and accused of pulling the emergency brake on a Manhattan No. 2 train this Tuesday. It might have been part of the wider pattern of similar incidents in March and April that delayed hundreds of trains and frustrated thousands of commuters.
He may have also been responsible for another incident on May 16, which involved riding outside a B train and exposing himself to passengers on the platform, the police said. In the second incident he was charged with public lewdness. By Friday afternoon, police records and neighbors’ accounts portrayed a troubled young man who in recent years appeared to gravitate toward peculiar and reckless behavior.
Interviewed by officers on Friday, Mr. Thompson admitted to having pulled subway emergency brakes in the past, but did not remember the specific incidents for which he was charged, the police said. Mr. Thompson had earned his transit notoriety, according to the police. Including Friday’s arrest, he had been arrested in 17 separate incidents, 16 of which involved the transit system. Seven involved riding on the backs of train cars, one police official said.
“He has mentioned in the past that he enjoys this and enjoys the thrill,” said Inspector Brian McGee. “He likes to cause havoc.” “He has mentioned in the past that he enjoys this and enjoys the thrill,” said Inspector Brian McGee, the commanding officer of the robbery division that handled the case. “He likes to cause havoc.
Two years ago, Mr. Thompson tried to jump onto the subway tracks and a police report at the time described him as emotionally disturbed. In a separate incident in 2017, Mr. Thompson was caught by the police trying to jump onto the subway tracks. A police report described him as emotionally disturbed.
Subway officials have said they believed the brake-pulling incident on Tuesday might have been tied to a broader pattern of mischief in recent months in which one person — or possibly a group of people — had pulled the brakes on trains dozens of times, delaying hundreds of trains and affecting thousands of riders. Though Mr. Thompson has only been charged in one brake-related incident, the police are trying to determine whether he was responsible for dozens of other emergency brake delays.
The police said Friday that they had no other suspects, but it remained unclear how many brake-pulling incidents Mr. Thompson is suspected of committing. On Friday, he was charged with reckless endangerment and criminal trespassing, in addition to a charge of public lewdness in a separate incident in which the police say he rode on the back of a train and exposed himself to passengers on the platform.
On Thursday, Inspector McGee said officers were reviewing about 40 different acts of emergency brake engagements — most happening in April and May — to determine whether the brakes had been pulled for legitimate reasons or were the work of a scofflaw. Neighbors in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, said Mr. Thompson was a bright but troubled young man whose behavior in recent months had grown odd.
The public hunt for the subway brake puller began this week. After reports of cascading rush-hour delays on the 2 and 3 lines in Manhattan on Tuesday night, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said that it was the work of a repeat offender. “His behavior, that young man, let you know that something is wrong with him,” said Sherman Nelson, 72, Mr. Thompson’s neighbor in Brooklyn. He had often seen Mr. Thompson hopping subway turnstiles at a station in Brooklyn.
There had been internal reports going back months noting that a man had gained access to the controller’s chair at the rear of a train and had pulled the emergency brake. The New York Police Department said the saboteur had pulled about 40 emergency brakes since February. Mr. Thompson lived with his mother and brother, Mr. Nelson said. When he was younger neighbors said they saw him boarding a bus for children with learning disabilities.
Officials initially feared that Mr. Thompson had obtained a key that allowed him to access controller cabins from the outside of trains. The police said Friday that he denied having a key. Then, Mr. Nelson said, the young man’s behavior started to change.
The subway’s leader, Andy Byford, this week called the behavior “dangerous” and “selfish” and the culprits “morons.” John Thompson, a relative, also said Isaiah Thompson’s behavior had changed “out of the blue.”
“It’s stupid,” Mr. Byford said this week. “It’s dangerous. It’s selfish. And it’s got to stop.” He also said he wanted to ban the culprit from the subway. “He’s troubled and he needs some help,” said John Thompson. “He’s a good kid, he’s just troubled.”
On Friday, following Mr. Thompson’s arrest, Mr. Byford said that if he were ultimately convicted, “he should face a lengthy prison term and the strictest possible penalties,” serving as a warning to others. The public hunt for the subway brake puller began earlier this week, when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority brought a pattern of emergency brake incidents to the police department. After reports of cascading rush-hour delays on the 2 and 3 lines in Manhattan on Tuesday night, the M.T.A. believed it was the work of a repeat offender.
There had been internal reports going back months noting that a man had gained access to the controller’s chair at the rear of a train and had pulled the emergency brake. Officials initially feared that the culprit had obtained a key that allowed him to access controller cabins from the outside of trains.
Confronted by officers early Friday, Mr. Thompson admitted that he had previously pulled subway emergency brakes, the police said. He did not remember the two specific incidents in which he was charged, and denied having a key to train compartments.
Subway officials said brake-pulling culprit was endangering subway riders, track workers and himself. Riders on stalled trains could have a medical emergency, and subway tracks are notoriously dangerous because of the third rail, a steel column that carries 600 volts of electricity. After pulling a brake, the saboteur would flee onto the tracks.
The subway’s leader, Andy Byford, earlier this week called the behavior “dangerous” and “selfish” and said the culprits were “morons.”
“It’s stupid,” Mr. Byford said this week. “It’s dangerous. It’s selfish. And it’s got to stop.” He also said he wanted to ban the perpetrator from the subway.
On Friday, following Mr. Thompson’s arrest, Mr. Byford said that if he were ultimately convicted, “he should face a lengthy prison term and the strictest possible penalties” to serve as a warning to others.
“These incidents illustrate why the law needs to allow recidivists who repeatedly target subway customers or employees to be banned from the property,” he added.“These incidents illustrate why the law needs to allow recidivists who repeatedly target subway customers or employees to be banned from the property,” he added.
Inspector McGee agreed: “Mr. Thompson is the perfect candidate for expulsion from the transit system.”Inspector McGee agreed: “Mr. Thompson is the perfect candidate for expulsion from the transit system.”
Eliza Orlins, a lawyer for the Legal Aid Society who is representing Mr. Thompson, said in a statement that her client’s family was now faced with providing an “exorbitant” bail amount. Nate Schweber contributed reporting. Susan Beachy contributed research.
“If this were January of next year, after the implementation of bail reform, our client — who has no criminal record and is charged with a non-violent offense — would be released on his own recognizance,” she said.
Subway officials said the culprit was endangering subway riders, track workers and himself. Riders on stalled trains could have a medical emergency, and subway tracks are notoriously dangerous because of the third rail, a steel column that carries 600 volts of electricity. After pulling a brake, the saboteur would flee onto the tracks.
Neighbors said Mr. Thompson lived with his mother and brother in the Fort Greene neighborhood in Brooklyn and had grown increasingly troubled in recent years. One neighbor, Sherman Nelson, said he often saw Mr. Thompson hopping the turnstile at the Clinton-Washington station in Brooklyn.
“His behavior, that young man, let you know that something is wrong with him,” Mr. Nelson said.
Nate Schweber contributed reporting.