Shovel, Christmas lights, concrete tossed on subway tracks by man in Brooklyn
PARK SLOPE, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A young man in a hooded sweatshirt is planting junk along MTA rails underground, and police want to find him before he derails a subway train.
The items left along the subway tracks in Brooklyn are potentially dangerous, including things like a shovel, Christmas lights, a bag of concrete mix, and even a working fire extinguisher that actually exploded.
"That's pretty crazy, because you could derail the train and a lot of lives could be lost," one rider said. "I hope they find him, because got to be crazy to be doing something like that."
Authorities say these large items are putting passengers' safety at risk, and they released video and photos of the suspect.
Investigators say he routinely jumps the turnstiles, often at night. The latest incident happened at the 9th Street N/R subway station along 4th Avenue, and last Wednesday, June 5, authorities say he threw the fire extinguisher into the path of an R train at the Union Street station.
A train ran over it and sent Monoammonium Phosphate powder spewing all over the station.
He's also been seen at Atlantic Avenue and the 45th Street stations.
No one has been hurt, but they want to catch him before someone is injured.
"This is a deadly serious matter," NYC Transit President Andy Byford said. "Anyone who deliberately and recklessly sabotages the city's main mode of public transportation like this is a menace to New Yorkers and should be caught and prosecuted on the strictest possible terms. We're working closely with NYPD on their investigation and are determined to help catch whoever is responsible.
The individual is described as an Asian man in his 20s, last seen wearing a hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
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