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    1. Safety & Security

    MTA offering $10,000 reward in 7 Line vandalism wave

    Aug. 25, 2020
    Further broken windows could cause the need for future service adjustments on 7 Line.
    Related To: MTA – New York City Transit
    MTA NYCT
    Since April, there have been more than 70 incidents of smashed windows across four subway lines.
    Since April, there have been more than 70 incidents of smashed windows across four subway lines.

    A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) for information leading to an arrest and indictment of a person or persons responsible for a recent wave of window vandalism on subway cars.  

    The announcement follows a high-level meeting with MTA and New York Police Department (NYPD) officials to discuss strategies to stop the vandalism. The reward is being paid for by the MTA and tips will be processed by NYPD Crime Stoppers. Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. Crime Stoppers is offering an additional $2,500 reward, for a total reward of up to $12,500.  

    “I am announcing a reward from the MTA of $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the sociopath who is responsible for the damage on 7 train,” said Patrick J. Foye, MTA Chairman and CEO, at a press conference. “This person has caused over $300,000 in damages and has caused our customers on the 7 line – working people in Woodside and Sunnyside and Corona and Jackson Heights and Elmhurst – delays. And there have been scores of incidents. I want to call upon our criminal justice partners in the city's district attorney offices to prosecute this person and others who are damaging subway or bus property to the fullest extent of the law.” 

    “It's important that we have the public's assistance,” said NYPD Transit Bureau Chief Edward Delatorre at the press conference. “We know that our history in transit is that most of our major crimes do get solved with the help of the public. We have a great ridership in transit. And there has to have been some witnesses to this vandalism, over the course of the last couple of months. I'm calling on the public to pick up their phones, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS or 1-800-577-8477, and give us some help with this case; it's important to everybody that we close this case soon and stop this vandalism.” 

    Since April, there have been more than 70 incidents of smashed windows across four subway lines, with most incidents occurring on the 7 line in Queens, and the remainder on the 2, 3 and A lines. The repair and replacement cost for the windows has thus far been more than $300,000. Since Aug. 21, 25 windows have been smashed on three 7 line trains. 

    The windows are made of a specialized ballistic safety glass designed to keep people safe by not shattering. The MTA keeps a stockpile of replacement glass, but that has been exhausted, causing a need for glass vendors to keep up with the wave of vandalism with new production in real-time, and threatening to require service adjustments due to trains being out of service should the vandalism continue. These challenges come at a time when the MTA can ill-afford additional costs due to the fiscal crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

    The MTA says it will pursue civil litigation to reclaim funds spent on window repair in the event that the responsible parties are identified.  

    Thanks to the urgent mobilization and flexibility of NYC Transit’s Division of Car Equipment, 7 train schedules have not been impacted thus far, though every vandalized train must go out of service for repair, causing short-term delays at the time of the incident. NYC Transit officials continue to monitor the situation and are forming contingency service plans if the vandalism along the line continues.