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Hot Stuff on the Third Rail
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 18, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 18, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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It's established that it's hot in the city - there were a couple power outages in Brooklyn and Yonkers (Con Ed said Monday had the second highest power usage on record!) and firefighters suffered heat exhaustion at a Brooklyn fire - but overall, things were okay, if sticky.
Yet who knew that it would be hot enough to cause the third rail on the A line out in the Rockaways to buckle, leaving commuters stranded? Yesterday afternoon, a Manhattan bound A train got stuck between the Broad Channel and 67th Street stops, and only half the train cars had AC. One rider said, "It got mad hot inside and it was smelly," while another said, "People were pushing and shoving and cursing at each other." The Transit Authority decided to have the passengers evacuate by foot instead of sending a rescue train, lest a rescue train get stuck, too. Mental note: Bring sneakers on subway commutes in case of third rail buckling.
And in what might be the first heat-related crime, a 12 year old girl was shot dead while playing in Queens. The current theory seems to be the driver was mad his Nissan Altima was splashed with a fire hydrant's water.
Photograph of man cooling himself off in Washington Square Park by Seth Wenig/AP
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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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