NEW YORK (AP) — New York City police arrested 143 people in the city’s subways and removed 455 people from from trains and stations in the first week of a crackdown on crime and the presence of homeless people in the transit system.
Mayor Eric Adams’ office said the arrests and removals came as officers were enforcing subway rules barring smoking, drinking, sleeping across train seats, behaving aggressively and riding without paying fares.
Officers also issued 1,553 tickets for rule violations.
High-profile acts of violence in New York City’s subway system prompted increased police presence and a new subway safety plan, which includes more enforcement of MTA rules and new homeless outreach teams.
The MTA also recently announced plans to test subway platform doors, which could prevent deadly pushing incidents in stations.
In recent instances of subway crime, a man was slashed; another man was shot in the chest; a woman was beaten with a hammer and another woman had feces rubbed on her face.
Several teens were also stabbed on a Brooklyn subway platform.
