Brooklyn Police Search for Man Accused of Putting Objects on Subway Tracks

The New York Police Department has released surveillance images of a suspect accused of putting objects on subway tracks. NYPD/Crime Stoppers

New York police have released images of a man they say has been placing objects on subway train tracks in Brooklyn.

Authorities are calling on the public to help identify the man who they allege has in recent weeks placed different items on tracks, including a fire extinguisher, bag of concrete mix, and a shovel.

Pix11 reported that the first case noted by authorities of the unidentified individual placing something on the tracks took place at around 12:30 a.m. on May 9, resulting in a “hazardous condition.” In that incident, the perpetrator placed unspecified debris on the northbound tracks of the D train inside the Atlantic Avenue-Barclay Center station. There were no reports of damage to property or injuries.

Police cited in the report say that the same individual is believed to have put a fire extinguisher, a bank of lights, a bag of concrete mix, and a metal shim on the southbound rails of the R train line near the Union Street subway station in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn on June 5.

A train running over the fire extinguisher caused powder from the punctured container to diffuse throughout the station. In that case, too, there were no reports of injuries or damage to property.

Follow-on incidents include a shovel on the southbound rails of the R train at the 45th Street station in the Sunset Park neighborhood, and Christmas lights on the northbound rails of the N train line near the 4th Ave-9th Street subway station in Gowanus.

The suspect is described as a male between the age of 20-30.

Baby in Stroller Rides New York Subway Alone for 60 Blocks

In related news, the New York Police Department said a 1-year-old boy in a stroller rode alone on a Manhattan subway train for eight stops—or about 60 blocks—after the baby’s caretaker became ill.

The toddler traveled from the Upper West Side to Penn Station at around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5, after the person looking after the child somehow exited the southbound 1 train at 96th Street, leaving the baby inside alone.

Officials said the child’s caregiver—a male friend of the family—suffered some sort of a medical episode and became disoriented, the New York Post reported.

The train pulled away and continued southbound, leaving the caretaker on the platform and the baby on board—all alone.

The 1-year-old child rode the Manhattan subway alone for eight stops in New York City on March 5, 2019. MTA

The baby was recovered at 34th St. Penn Station unharmed.

The tot was reunited with his mother, according to NBC.

The caregiver was not charged.

Police declined to provide details on the man’s medical condition due to privacy laws, the Post reported.

Mother Falls Down Subway Stairs

In another accidental death at the New York subway this year, a young woman who was pushing her 1-year-old in a stroller was killed when she fell down a flight of stairs at a New York City subway station.

Malaysia Goodson, 22, fell down the stairs at the 7th Avenue and 53rd Street station at around 8 p.m. on Jan 28.

Goodson, who was from Connecticut, was found unconscious on the platform.

A station employee told the New York Daily News that she called for help after people told her Goodson fell down.

The child, Rhylee, was not harmed in the incident.

Goodson was sent to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

“Malaysia was a distant niece of mine. [She] was smart, caring, beautiful, and will be extremely missed,” Goodson’s aunt, Curtessa Goodson, told the Daily Mail.

Goodson, who worked at a daycare, was in New York City visiting her cousin when she fell, NBC News reported.

The New York City Police Department said that it isn’t clear how she fell down. They said it’s unclear if she had some sort of medical episode or slipped, and her family said they’re not sure either, according to NBC.

The Associated Press and Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.