It should come as a surprise to absolutely no one that it's not a good idea to fall asleep on the subway, if just to avoid all the rats and bedbugs that are attracted to your expelled CO2. And now, the NYPD's provided some data beyond what we learned from the Girls season 1 finale—it appears 21 percent of subway crime victims are sleeping straphangers.
According to statistics released at this month's MTA Transit & Bus Committee meeting [pdf], out of 1,600 reported subway crimes this year, 331 occurred when the victim was asleep. Last year, only 16.8 percent of subway crime victims were sleeping when said crime occurred. Authorities say this spike in sleeping straphanger crime coincides with a rise in nighttime ridership, and many victims were out late—and potentially partying—prior to taking the subway home.
The good news is that overall reported subway crimes seem to have decreased this year, with only 1601 total crimes reported in 2014 thus far as compared to 1888 over the same period in 2013. Subway robberies, burglaries and grand larcenies have all dropped, though there's been a small (5.7 percent) spike in reported felony assaults.
Though sleeping victims commonly reported having their cell phones or wallets stolen while they were asleep, napping on a subway train can put you at risk for more serious crimes, too. Do not give in to the L train's womblike sway and stay away from Human Ambien Jake Gyllenhaal when commuting late at night.
