Watch: NYC Subway Riders On Stalled Train Hold Ceremony For Guy Missing Graduation

KIPS BAY, NY — One local college grad got schooled this week on how badly NYC's chronically delayed subway system can mess up your big day. Hunter College student Jerich Marco Alcantara reportedly missed his entire commencement ceremony Tuesday morning due to "signal problems" and other mechanical issues that trapped his train car underground for three hours.

But Alcantara's fellow passengers didn't let his years of hard work go unrecognized.

Video footage recorded aboard the stalled subway car, included below, shows passengers holding an impromptu ceremony for the City University of New York grad on the E train. (Want more local news? Sign up here for Patch's free morning newsletters and breaking news alerts for your New York City neighborhood.)

Alcantara, a nursing student from Queens, was fully dressed in cap and gown as he tried to make his way to Hunter College's Brookdale Campus in Kips Bay via the underground subway system Tuesday morning. He told New York Magazine he started to sweat as his train ground to a halt — reportedly due to a combination of problems at two different stations in Queens.

"I was on track to be at my commencement at 9:15 a.m., but the delays altogether ended up taking almost three hours," Alcantara told the magazine.

"After 45 minutes I knew I was already late, but I kept hoping that I’d at least make it to walking the stage," he said.

Lucky for this college kid, the stage came to him.

In the middle of the packed car, a friend handed pulled up a mock diploma on a smartphone and handed it to him while other passengers filmed the pomp and circumstance. One subway rider even played the commencement standby "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Green Day during the proceedings.

"It wasn’t so much an idea, but something that just happened," Alcantara told New York Magazine. "Everyone was getting antsy and impatient, so I figured I’d lighten the mood by thanking everyone for coming out. That led to applause, and the rest just followed."

Alcantara said that when he finally did make it to his stop, the grad ceremony had ended — but he didn't seem to begrudge the MTA for its mechanical problems.

"It was a great time," he told New York magazine.

Lead image via Patch