Chronicle Editor
James FitzGerald
New York police have arrested two teenagers they suspect of joyriding and crashing an empty subway train.
A girl and boy, both aged 17, are charged with criminal mischief and reckless endangerment. They are accused of entering and operating the train, then causing a “collision”, after which they fled on foot. No injuries were reported in the incident at Briarwood station in Queens shortly after midnight on 12 September.
It remains unclear how the pair gained access to the train. They were able to drive the vehicle about 50ft (15m), said Demetrius Crichlow, the interim president of the New York City Transit Authority. Asked how the pair knew how to control the train, Mr Crichlow said: “It’s unclear at this point the experience of these two individuals, [or] where they got it.”
He described the brief joyride as “an extremely foolish and reckless act” and said security cameras were being “aggressively” installed to deter a repeat of such an incident. Surveillance images released by police showed one suspect dressed in pink – including what looked like a shower cap.
A similar incident was reported in January at Forest Hills-71st Avenue station, also in Queens. Again, nobody was hurt and no damage was reported. At the time, officials speculated that a stolen key was used. They moved to reassure the public that the train would not have been able to leave its yard and reach active tracks.
BBC NEWS
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