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Subway Stealing Legend Arrested Again
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 14, 2004
Modified Mar 6, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 14, 2004
Modified Mar 6, 2008
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The most famous metrophile* in recent memory, Darius McCollum, has struck again: He was found by police in the LIRR's rail yards in Jamaica, Queens, carrying various transit keys (engineer, universal, and switch), transit workers' clothes and a hard hat. The Post reports that McCollum had only been out of prison from serving ANOTHER transit-related offense for two months when this happened. The Lower East Side resident was "charged with attempted grand larceny, criminal impersonation, possession of stolen property, trespassing and possession of burglar tools." McCollum has been arrested 20 times before, most daringly as a 15 year-old who took the E train six stops to the World Trade Center. The director of Boy Steals Train, a play about McCollum, who befriended him said and is devestated by this arrest said McCollum was wearing "a hardhat and a reflector vest." McCollum is suspected to have Asperger's syndrome, which similar to autism, beacuse of his obsessive habits. Gothamist feels very badly for McCollum, because clearly he loves loves loves the subway (and who wouldn't), but his passion is a bit overwhelming and we do understand the police's concerns. We wonder what program a judge, doctors, and the MTA could put together to give him an outlet - hopefully there could be a way to harness his interest (yes, Gothamist is being optimistic, but, hey, sometimes it calls for it).
Read a Harper's article about McCollum. * And a metrophile "is a person who has as a hobby the study of metro (subway, underground) systems," according to UsefulReference.com. Hmm, McCollum is certainly a Type-A metrophile. Gothamist is happy to read nycsubway.org and leave the conducting of trains to the professionals.
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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