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Subway window smashing spree suspends service on W train
By
Stephen Nessen
Published Sep 13, 2023
Modified Sep 13, 2023
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MTA
By
Stephen Nessen
Published Sep 13, 2023
Modified Sep 13, 2023
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The W train stood for “windowless” on Wednesday after vandals went on a glass-smashing spree that led to service being halted on the line.
MTA officials said 97 subway car windows were shattered overnight across 45 different trains that run on the subway’s lettered lines.
The fiasco forced transit crews to take the cars with broken windows out of service and rearrange where trains would be available. Officials said they were left with too few subway cars to run any W trains throughout the day.
MTA officials said the agency doesn’t have a large enough stock of spare windows to replace all the ones that were busted, which were mostly on older lines, and crews were forced to take windows from trains that were out of service. Officials estimated the damage would cost $500,000.
“It might seem like a prank, I don't know what is in the mindset of these of these criminals, but it sure as hell ain't helping us deliver service for New Yorkers,” said New York City Transit President Richard Davey.
It's hard work to replace smashed up subway windows.
Marc A. Hermann / MTA
The NYPD reported that the windows were smashed from the inside of the cars, and the smashing likely started around midnight on Wednesday and ran through the morning. Police weren’t sure if the damage was caused by one person or a group of vandals.
Police said whoever is arrested for the window smashing will face felony charges. Davey promised to show up in court every day if there’s a trial.
The MTA faced a similar dilemma in 2020 when more than 300 windows were smashed over the course of the summer on the 7 line. The agency and the NYPD had offered a $12,500 reward for information that led to an arrest in that case, but a culprit was never identified.
The NYPD is still reviewing surveillance footage from Wednesday’s smash-up, although Davey said the MTA has “more cameras than a Las Vegas casino.” He said the windows were mostly smashed in the rear of the trains, far from the conductor's booth.
“I have no doubt we will find you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law,” Davey said.
MTA officials said they expected full W service by the Thursday morning rush.
The NYPD said it will increase the number of officers on patrol in the subway system.
This story has been updated with the MTA's latest count of damaged windows and subway cars. There was also an update on the status of Thursday morning's W train service.
Tagged
new york city
public safety
manhattan
queens
transportation
Stephen Nessen
Stephen Nessen covers transportation. Since 2008 he has reported on everything from Occupy Wall Street, the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, Hurricane Sandy, to Trump’s campaign for president. His transportation reporting has taken him everywhere from the MTA’s secret Rail Control Center to the gleaming subways of Seoul. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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