Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Unusual: Smoking Backpack on Subway
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 28, 2008
Modified Mar 28, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 28, 2008
Modified Mar 28, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Yesterday, the Gothamist Newsmap noted there was a "suspicious package" at the Flatbush & 7th Avenue subway station in Brooklyn. It now turns out it was a backpack that started to smoke, by way of a science project.
The Daily News reports Gregory Kats, New York City College of Technology computer engineering student, was headed home to Sheepshead Bay on the B train when "white smoke began spiraling out of his backpack." A device he built, based on an elevator's mechanics, had short-circuited and freaked out other passengers. Kats said his fellow straphangers "started to jump out of the train" as soon as it arrived at 7th Avenue.
The bomb squad arrived and the police interrogated Kats, who was eventually released hours later without being charged. Kats was apologetic, "I hate to scare people. Next time, I'll be much more careful and keep my electronic projects at home."
Flashback: In 2006, the MTA and NYPD were unamused when Pratt students left duffel bags of crap (the Post, comic books) in subway stations--an art project, of course--and charged them with leaving fake bombs.
Tagged
7th Avenue station
backpack
brooklyn
gadget
subway
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Judge temporarily halts overnight construction at NYC’s Chinatown jail
The order comes after Chinatown residents sued the city over noise, health concerns and years of planned after-hours construction.
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Oct 26, 2026 at 7:08 p.m. ET
Pressure grows on Mamdani to reform admissions to NYC specialized high schools
A former top-school official will join councilmembers and other prominent educators at an event focused on specialized high schools.
By
Elizabeth Kim
News
Pressure grows on Mamdani to reform admissions to NYC specialized high schools
A former top-school official will join councilmembers and other prominent educators at an event focused on specialized high schools.
By
Elizabeth Kim
Police search for man in Central Park sexual assault
By
Charles Lane
Rockefeller Center's 2026 Christmas tree is a 76-foot spruce from Upstate New York
By
Giulia Heyward
‘A killer cop lives here’: Brooklyn arrests raise questions about limits of free speech
By
Ben Feuerherd
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .