MANHATTAN, N.Y. - In a press conference Saturday afternoon, Patrick Warren, the MTA Chief Safety and Security Officer, said two more subway trains have been vandalized, in a crime spree that started several months ago.
The MTA announced that 21 windows were broken on two 7 trains before and after 10 P.M. on Friday, costing the agency $10,000 in repairs.
Twenty-one windows were smashed. One train had 18 broken windows, and the other had three, Warren said.
Fixing the mess could cost $500 a piece. The agency now faces a total of at least $300,000 in damages from the vandalism, at a time when it’s already struggling financially because of the pandemic.
The vandalism is not only costing the agency, but also the riders. Warren said that if this continues, it’ll be forced to cut service.
That hasn’t happened yet, but any time a window needs to be fixed, that train is temporarily out of service for at least a few hours, according to the agency.
Several 7 train cars were smashed in multiple stations in the past two weeks, including Flushing, Queens, Long Island City and Hudson Yards.
The MTA says it’s working with the NYPD to come up with a plan to find those responsible. It’s unclear if one or multiple people are involved.