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"Urban Explorers" Arrested After Sneaking Into 2nd Avenue Subway


By

John Del Signore

Published May 9, 2011

Modified May 9, 2011


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Looking north towards 96th Street- the back end of the boring machine is on the left.

 

Jake Dobkin/Gothamist


By

John Del Signore

Published May 9, 2011

Modified May 9, 2011


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Four men were arrested for an escapade down in the Second Avenue subway project. The men—Eric Ruggiero, 25, of Manhattan; Jacob Bloom, 21, of Glen Cove, LI; Braiden O'Sullivan, 21, of Connecticut and William West, 27, of Massachusetts—were arrested in the tunnel with Roman candles and cameras. They said they were down there as part of an "urban explorers" expedition and had brought the fireworks along to illuminate the space for photography (maybe they were looking for street art?).

And they would have gotten away with it too if it wasn't for Harlem resident Jerry Jackson, who spotted them sneaking into the tunnel near 112th Street and narced them out. "Just because we got bin Laden doesn't mean it's over," Jackson, a truck driver and Army vet, tells the Post. "We still have to remain alert." They were each charged with criminal trespass, and the tabloid has an exclusive photo of one of the urban explorers, who appears to have come straight from hipster Central Casting.

Tagged

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second avenue subway

see something say something

street art

urban exploration

urban explorer


John Del Signore

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Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


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