Sometimes it’s OK to bash the MTA — but not like this!
Police are searching for a man they believe smashed 63 MTA subway car windows over the course of three months.
The suspected vandal, pictured wearing construction boots, a blue shirt and a face mask, is believed to have shattered train windows on the 3, 4 and 7 lines between May 8 and Aug. 3.
Train windows were found broken across Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx, police said.
Subway train glass is thick and laminated to withstand the rigors of the daily commute — it’s not easily broken. Police believe the suspect used a hammer to methodically smash the windows.
A subway operator last week posted a video of a 7 train stopped at the 34th Street-Hudson Yards station in Manhattan with at least a dozen broken windows, marveling at the damage. The incident appears to be related though officials could not immediately confirm a connection.
In all my years as a #TrainOperator I have never seen this many broken windows on 1 train @danrivoli@ClaytonGuse@JMartinezNYCpic.twitter.com/SGgat5DVQ4
— Canella Gomez (@CanellaGomezTWU) July 31, 2020
The senseless vandalism comes as the MTA struggles to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic, which has drastically driven down ridership and slashed the agency’s anticipated revenue.
Sarah Feinberg, the MTA’s interim transit president, estimated that the window basher caused “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in damage.
“The senseless smashing of glass in occupied subway cars is as outrageous as it is dangerous, and perpetrators, when arrested, should face significant consequences under the law,” Feinberg said in a statement.
“Taxpayers are ultimately paying for this — to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs,” Feinberg said. “I’m pleased the NYPD is taking these crimes seriously.”
