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Cop In Ticket-Fixing Probe Allegedly Attempted Suicide By Third Rail

Ben Yakas

Published Sep 14, 2011

Modified Sep 14, 2011

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Ben Yakas

Published Sep 14, 2011

Modified Sep 14, 2011

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A veteran NYPD officer distraught over being called to testify in the ticket-fixing scandal which has engulfed the police force this year allegedly attempted to commit suicide earlier today. Officer Robert McGee, 62, a three-decade veteran and union delegate assigned to the 43rd Precinct, jumped in the tracks on the No. 1 line at a Riverdale subway station just before 5 a.m. this morning, and tried to electrocute himself by clutching the third rail. Earlier that night, McGee's wife had called cops and said he "was suicidal."

Even though McGee wasn't facing any criminal charges in the probe, he was reportedly distraught that he would be called to take the stand at trial against fellow cops accused of bribery or misconduct. A close friend described him to the Times as the type of officer who is willing to “give you the shirt off his back.” McGee even tried to retire in March to avoid this, but he wasn't allowed to when he was named in the probe: "He's been stressed out by this for months. He was always very nervous and very stressed out by this -- more than anyone else," one police source told the News.

This year, it has been revealed that more than 400 cops could be facing disciplinary charges in a massive ticket-fixing scheme, the implications of which could have negative consequences for many criminal cases. At least a dozen or more cops could be hit with criminal charges in the probe. Pat Lynch, president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, blamed the ongoing probe and how prosecutors have mishandled the case for McGee's suicide attempt: "It is no surprise that New York City police officers have reached a breaking point. This issue could have and should have been addressed differently. Police Officer McGee has served this city well for over three decades and is a man of honesty and integrity and he and others deserve better than this treatment."

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cop

nypd

police

Probe

subway

suicide

third rail

ticket-fixing

ticket-fixing probe

ticket-fixing scheme

Ben Yakas

Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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