It was captured on cell phone video.
MTA officials say he laid across the tracks between Christopher and 14th streets during the morning rush.
Customers riding the 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 trains experienced delays.
"One person shut it down, they went down on the tracks, then they laid down on the tracks, they had a problem, we realize that, but within a half an hour we were back up and running, but a half an hour during rush hour is hundreds of thousands of people who were stuck on the West Side," said Joe Lhota, MTA Commissioner.
Lhota sat down with Eyewitness News Anchor Bill Ritter for this weekend's "Up Close."
You can hear more of what he had to say about improving the subway this Sunday morning at 11.