Suspected Subway Brake-Puller Caught On Camera, NYPD Says

NEW YORK — The NYPD is looking for a straphanger suspected of intentionally stopping a subway train as the MTA hunts for serial brake-pullers. Police released surveillance video early Thursday morning of a man who they say pulled the emergency brake on a 2 train earlier this week.

The alleged miscreant hopped on the northbound train at 14th Street and Seventh Avenue in Chelsea just before 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, according to the NYPD. He got into the rear car and rode on the outside of the train for several stops before activating the brake, police said.

Police say no one was hurt in the incident. But later that evening, New York City Transit said it suspected someone had "intentionally disrupted thousands of commutes" on the 2 and 3 lines by hitting the brakes on multiple trains.

The suspected brake bandit was caught on camera wearing a Yankees cap, baggy khaki pants, black and white sneakers, and a black T-shirt that read "SWAG DON'T COME CHEAP," the NYPD said. He's described as a 20-to-30-year-old man with brown eyes and black hair standing about 5-foot-9 and weighing 160 pounds.

The NYPD released details about the incident after MTA officials said they're searching for at least one person who has been wreaking havoc on the subways by pulling trains' brakes.

The culprit or culprits sneak into the train's cab, possibly using keys, and then surf on the back of the train or scurry away along the tracks, NYC Transit President Andy Byford said Wednesday.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said police are investigating the issue as reckless endangerment.

"It poses a danger and a risk to people any time that you’re disrupting," he told reporters Wednesday.