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Everyone wants the subway to be cheaper - some are just a little more desperate about it. Michael Garetano decided to get crafty and rubber cemented a student fare MetroCard magnetic strip to a regular Metrocard.
According to the Staten Island Advance, an MTA officer noticed Garetano swiping through and asked him to show his Metrocard: "The teen showed the officer a regular, unaltered card, and when the officer responded, 'I know this isn't the card you used.'" Snap!
Public school students can get free or half-fare Student Metrocards, which are good betwen 5:30AM and 8:30PM on days when school is in session. The student's name is also on the card, which is green. Though Garetano is a student, he's not a public school student - the 18-year-old attends FIT. He was charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument and theft of services.
Photograph of a "modded Metrocard" by j_bary on Flickr; j_bary says, "You can't hold it the usual way but it requires a modified hold. Also, if you use it on a bus the machine won't give it back."
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Hope the embarassment was worth the cost of the fare! There should be a citywide crackdown on fare beaters, it costs taxpayers millions.
Really? What's worse with wasting millions of taxpayer money: A few hoppers and doctored cards? Or the bureaucracy that is...THE MTA!
I'm more interested in the "modded metrocard" picture. Why would you do such a thing? Oh i get it. So you can be awesome. Show all of your LES (but really Hoboken) friends your super-cool "modded metrocard" and you'll be the envy of the faux-dive bar whilst drinking your ironic PBRs.
It's easy for the cops to tell...the lights near the turnstile are like the lights on the bus, so the cop hiding in the shadows will know.
Papercutninja-
Little far-fetched on that one, don't you think?
I remember using quarter inch washers as "slugs" on the cta.
life was much more simple then.
apparently you would cut your metrocard like that so that it is "lighter" for "backpacking".
you know, since metrocards are totally heavy.
You also used to be able to use Italian nickels to get in the subway as well.
To all- Read below the picture, read the article, and put things together. If the regular Metrocard is yellow... and student ones are green... and you're not a student... Ta-Da!
The metrocard in the picture has nothing to do with the metrocard referenced in the article. Click the flikr link.
that kid was just being creative. he is going to be a star on project runway...make it work!
that kid was just being creative. he is going to be a star on project runway...make it work!
A modded New York City Metrocard. It allows for rapid swiping as well as eliminating weight. Good for backpacking.
Rapid swiping?
How could they tell an 18 year old wasnt a student? what am I missing?
Did the officer pull his gun out?
MTA should have college discounts like NJ transit does. NJ Transit even lets college students ride free for a week about twice a year.
The MTA are much bigger crooks than this poor FIT student.
You know the little red strip of light that shows up when they disable one of the turnstiles? When you swipe your card, another bar of light will display, and the color corresponds to the colors on the bus (adult, student, senior, etc.).
the way to tell if someone is using a fake metrocard is really simple. Usually students only use the metrocard at certain times in the morning like 7-9 am to get to public school. The MTA officers look for weird patterns of times were a public school metrocard is used in a certain location numerous times. So, if they see that a public school metrocard is being used at 11-2 pm at different locations all the time they will try to pinpoint the first location and start observing. People are creatures of habit and live in a circuit. If you use your fake metrocard near your house everyday at 11am they will get you one of these days.
The MTA is a mess so it is ok for this kid to steal from the city and it's residents.
I can't stand that BS or the way people seem to think kids of all ages ride free. Pay for your kid
That 'modded' metrocard pictured is one of the lamest things I've ever seen.
TK when they see a 'student' using a card and they stop him or her they will ask for your student ID and schedule. You're also not allowed to use the cards during holidays. When I was in high school I used my student Metrocard during a break and almost got a $60 ticket, I lied my way out of it of course. Also the student card is inactive after 8:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. The card also doesn't work on weekends they have other cards they give students who need to come in on weekends. The turnstile lights up white when you use a student card.
It really is sad that college students who are going more and more in debt to educate themselves don't receive support for transportation but high school kids who show up to school half the time they should get free rides. It's shameful. The board of ed should incorporate a new system for these kids and stop letting them out at rush hour so they can harass people.
he is committing an egregious theft of service
notice the colored lights when you swipe your card, police watch that to see who is obviously using a discount student or elderly fare card...
dumb idea, he did not "mod" or "hack" a card...
i'm surprise no one has come up with a method of jamming the system with a magnet of sorts.
I really miss my buspasses from my HS days. They were made of paper and had pretty monthly color like Sherbert Orange and Canary Yellow.
everyone who is against this kid are idiots. first of all, dont believe everything you read in the newspaper and 2nd the picture of the metro card wasnt the one the kid used, gothamist should get there facts straight and stop making this kid to be a reall criminal. and another thing it wasnt NYPD, it was a useless mta cop who thought who the hell he was.
everyone who is against this kid are idiots. first of all, dont believe everything you read in the newspaper and 2nd the picture of the metro card wasnt the one the kid used, gothamist should get there facts straight and stop making this kid to be a reall criminal. and another thing it wasnt NYPD, it was a useless mta cop who thought who the hell he was.
Now everyone knows you're an idiot too.
This article is all wrong ok so everyone shut up and qwerty1234 is totally right and no the officer did not pull out his gun and he didnt have a real metro card on him and he took the regular metro card and glued it on the student one not the other way around and no michael is not an idiot because i bet none of you could think of that everyone that commented negative on this article you are the idiot not him
Should the kid get a ticket and pay a fine? Absolutely. Should he be charged with actual crimes that go on his record? No.
"criminal possession of a forged instrument" sounds like something you would get for carrying around a fake id. This is not even remotely close to that.
you all need to get a second job because you all have way too much time on your hands we all know the city sucks
this kid is inoccent wow this city freaken sucks!!! i would do the same thing that micheal garetano did. theres no reason that he was charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument and theft of services. wow this dumb ass city doesnt have anything else to do...
yours truley, peepeemonster14
Trying to beat the law shows a criminal mind we
poor fools have to pay to ride so does this jerk.
I do agree who supervises the MTA and there
illustrious record under Gov.Pataki?????
Don't forget the guy who is suspected of killing the dentist in front of a child. They used his subway fare bust and the fingerprints that came with it to identify him. Perhaps the police are just trying to keep us safe from future hitmen.