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#1 Subway Superfan Darius McCollum Spotted In The Bronx
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 8, 2010
Modified Aug 8, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 8, 2010
Modified Aug 8, 2010
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If you thought the folks at SubChat loved subways, they have nothing on Darius McCollum. McCollum has gained infamy as a true lover of trains and mass transit—they are so beloved to him that he's been arrested 26 times for stealing trains or impersonating train employees. Now, after serving his 11th prison sentence, McCollum was seen near Fordham Plaza in the Bronx: "Posters with his image have since blanketed Bronx bus depots, and train operators have received bulletins telling them to be on the lookout for a 'train thief well versed in railroad jargon.'"
McCollum, 45, was able to take an E train six stops to World Trade Center when he was 15, making him a minor legend (and sometimes recognizable to NYC Transit employees). He's been found with transit keys and in 2008, he was nabbed for three incidents: According to the Post, they were "flashing a bonus badge to a Long Island Rail Road conductor, trying to get on the tracks at the Columbus Circle subway station and beating a Midtown bus fare while wearing a fake NYC Transit uniform."
While he was taken to an upstate facility for Asperger's, his mother claims the hospital told her "he was too smart for their services and sent him on his way late last year." Elizabeth McCollum, 84, said that he lived her for a while but he left a few months ago, "Nothing is a surprise to me. I just want him to grow up.”
Tagged
asperger's syndrome
bronx
bus depot
darius mccollum
nyc transit
subway
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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