New Yorkers for Safe Transit

MTA worker scares off fiend assaulting woman

nyfst — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:19:37 +0000

An MTA worker walking along the tracks near a desolate lower Manhattan subway station scared off a violent sex attacker during a rape, police sources said.

“That saved her life,” one of the sources said of the MTA worker’s light that caught the victim’s attention as she was being beaten and raped.

The 36-year-old Asian woman saw the light and screamed, causing her attacker to flee.

Police say Michael Torres, 29, targeted the 36-year-old Asian woman just after 1 a.m. Wednesday at the J train stop on the Bowery at Delancey St.

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MTA Releases New Night-time Version of Subway Map

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:20:00 +0000

Past midnight, three subway lines don’t operate, three turn into shuttles, six express trains run as locals, and one night-only shuttle appears. Since the regular yellow-and-blue subway map depicts regular daytime service, it can mislead people who need to travel between midnight and 6 a.m. If you have any need to be traveling during those hours, consider picking one up. It’s also available as a PDF from the MTA website.

Subway crime increase

admin — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:43:59 +0000

350 more major felonies, such as rape, murder and grand larceny, were committed in the subway system in 2011 than in 2010, a 16 percent increase, according to the MTA.

In 2011 an average of nearly seven major felonies were committed every day, up from an average of 6 major felonies committed daily in 2010 and 5.6 per day in 2009.

In 2009, 35 percent of subway crime was the theft of electronics, and in 2011, that number grew to 49 percent, according to NYPD Transit Chief Joseph Fox.

In 2011, the majority of crimes were committed in Brooklyn (37 percent) and Manhattan (35 percent), with the Bronx (16 percent) and Queens (12 percent) making up just one-third of crime.

Subway cops harder to find as crime jumps

nyfst — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 03:46:20 +0000

The number of cops patrolling the subways has dropped while crime underground has risen sharply, officials revealed Monday.

The NYPD Transit Bureau head count is down nearly 10% this year compared with 2010. At the same time, subway crime — fueled by thieves targeting iPhones and other electronics — has surged nearly 18%, according to police stats released at an MTA committee hearing.

“These statistics are really troubling,” board member Andrew Albert said. “We have to stop this at the turnstile.”

n a letter read at the meeting, NYPD Transit Bureau Chief Joseph Fox noted that transit cops have blitzed the subways in recent weeks in a bid to stem the increase in robberies.

Several straphangers said the lack of cops underground has left them feeling vulnerable.

“It’s a little scary. I don’t wanna get robbed,” said Samantha Bines, a 22-year-old actress from Queens. “The more cops there are, the safer you are.”

Mike Trachtenberg, an IT manager from Brooklyn, said he’s fed up over all the transit-related cuts.

“We lose service on weekends; we lose people in the booths; we lose transit cops. What’s next?” said Trachtenberg, 27, of Bay Ridge. “Why don’t you just increase the fare while you’re at it?

Authored by: PETE DONOHUE, TREVOR KAPP, RICH SCHAPIRO
Reposted from New York Daily News

Arrest Made Thanks to DNA

admin — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:43:28 +0000

The Manhattan DA’s Office announced that a man who allegedly pleasured himself on female subway passengers in crowded trains has been indicted. And he was caught because of the DNA left behind.

According to the DA’s office, Darnell Hardware, 26, “rubbed his penis against a woman in a crowded subway car, ejaculated on her, and fled the subway when the doors opened.” The three incidents were between 2002 and 2006—at 8:15 a.m. on a northbound Lexington Avenue express between 14th and 42nd Streets; at 6 p.m. on a northbound 1 train; and at 7:30 a.m. near 86th Street on a northbound Lexington Avenue express—and all the victims were young women who couldn’t move away because the trains were so crowded. A prosecutor said in court today, “[One victim] could feel what was happening but would be powerless to move because of the crush of other passengers.”

The three women filed reports and the police collected the offending DNA. Prosecutors, which had obtained “John Doe” indictments in 2006, went after Hardware when he had to submit his DNA after being convicted of felony drug possession. Manhattan DA Cy Vance said, “This case represents a small but significant step towards ensuring the safety and protection of women on the subway. These are our wives and sisters, mothers and daughters, colleagues and friends, and they should not ride the subway in fear of being sexually assaulted. Forensic science and law enforcement together make New York a safer city.”

From Gothamist