Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Video: Man Confronts Subway Vandal To Teach Her Definition Of "Vandalism"
By
Miranda Katz
Published Nov 11, 2015
Modified Nov 11, 2015
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
Miranda Katz
Published Nov 11, 2015
Modified Nov 11, 2015
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
Anyone with grand plans to attain immortality by scratching their name into a subway door window should be advised: carving glass with a knife is, indeed, vandalism, as one very uninformed vandal learned last night:
The video shows a blonde woman in a green sweatshirt digging deep into the window of a subway car—it's hard to make out what exactly she's scratching into the class, but a close examination of the video frames suggest it might be "RICK," or "RACK," or perhaps an especially calligraphic "DICK." We reached out to the guy who uploaded the video, but he wasn't sure, either. When he informs her that what she's doing is vandalism, she appears deeply, genuinely confused:
VIDEOGRAPHER: You know that's vandalism, right?
VANDAL: I thought I was just scratching. Isn't vandalism only paint? [...] I thought it was only paint. Like, spray-paint.
VIDEOGRAPHER: So you're scratching shit on windows here and you think it's not vandalism?
VANDAL: I don't know what to say. I thought it was just paint.
It's unclear what she thought she was doing. Trying out performance art? Practicing her Snapchat doodling game? Making a grocery list? As far as subway confrontations go, though, this one was pretty tame. But it does seem to have been sufficiently shaming: the uploader said that she immediately stopped scratching, and got off at the next stop.
"I think it's possible she thought I was a cop or something," he told Gothamist.
In case there's any confusion, "scratchitti," as this form of window-etching is called, is indeed vandalism—and it's of the more frustrating variety, costing the MTA more than $3 million each year. According to the MTA, it can land you a $100 fine and a court summons, even if it's not "just paint."
Tagged
education
learning
subway
vandalism
Miranda Katz
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 .