Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
The Great Escape (From Stalled F Train): Watch Commuters' Desperate, Dangerous Walk On Subway Tracks
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 23, 2017
Modified Jun 23, 2017
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 Jun 23, 2017
Modified Jun 23, 2017
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
Signal problems made Tuesday morning extremely difficult for subway riders trying to get to work during rush hour. This level of subway meltdown has become increasingly common, and it seems that some commuters have reached their breaking point— two frustrated straphangers jumped off a stalled train on Tuesday and proceeded through the subway tunnel on foot. The MTA is not pleased.
One of the extremely brave (or foolish) commuters spoke to the NY Post and shared video of the journey. The man, Matt, explained that he was commuting from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn to College Point, Queens, when the F train stopped before 34th Street- Herald Square, where the signal problems occurred. The train was apparently there for an hour and then:
“I was texting my boss nonstop, but I had no service,” said Matt who boarded the train at the Avenue X stop. “I just started two weeks ago and I didn’t want to get in trouble.”
As the train operator made repeated announcements about the delay, straphangers grew increasingly impatient.
“People were bugging out on the train, saying, ‘We’re going to be late,’” said Matt, who was in the first car. Then another frustrated commuter - also late for work - said out loud: “If this train doesn’t move in five minutes I’m going to hop off and walk to the platform!"
“It was five minutes later and I saw him walking to the door,” said Matt, who then made the daring decision to join the stranger, who was in his 20s.
“I said to him, ‘You’re hopping off?’ He said, ‘Yeah,’ and I said, ‘Well I’ll come with you,’” Matt recalled.
"I thought it was funny. I was dying laughing. I couldn’t believe I was doing this to get to work," Matt told the Post.
Speaking of dying: MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz said in a statement, "I cannot stress enough how dangerous this is. With a live third rail and the possibility of the train moving at any time, this individual could have been seriously injured or worse. Under no circumstances should customers leave a train unless instructed to do so by the train crew."
In fact, Matt later learned that he was indeed very close to the third rail, and remarked, "I could have been killed going to work!"
If you found this commute frustrating, tell your state representatives and Governor Cuomo to stop robbing the MTA of badly needed funding and figure out a way to come up with more cash for a 21st Century transit system.
Tagged
governor cuomo
MTA
signal problems
stalled train
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
Queens man found dead, police say, and injured woman is his mother, neighbors say
Police are investigating a related incident in which a 62-year-old woman was found injured beneath the Van Wyck Expressway.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 7:39 p.m. ET
Man shot by ICE in NYC's Marble Hill said federal officers never identified themselves
The wounded man said he didn't learn ICE agents were involved until he woke up in the hospital.
By
Arya Sundaram
and
Samantha Max
News
Man shot by ICE in NYC's Marble Hill said federal officers never identified themselves
The wounded man said he didn't learn ICE agents were involved until he woke up in the hospital.
By
Arya Sundaram
and
Samantha Max
Brooklyn school dean says MTA officers assaulted him over a $3 bus fare he says he paid
By
Carol Chen
National Grid customers in NYC will see higher gas bills this winter
By
Rosemary Misdary
Bruce Blakeman joins Gov. Hochul in support for expanding NY rape law
By
Jon Campbell
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 .