The infamous subway brake bandit, Isaiah Thompson, was formally indicted on Thursday for allegedly triggering hundreds of commuting headaches simply for the lulz.
Thompson, 23, was arrested last week and charged with reckless endangerment and criminal trespass for allegedly yanking the emergency brake on a 2 train in the vicinity of 14th Street on May 23rd. Police also charged him with reckless endangerment, public lewdness, and criminal trespass for a May 16th incident, in which Thompson is said to have exposed himself to passengers waiting on the 8th Avenue-14th Street platform, as he cruised by on the back of a northbound B train.
The choice of lines looks like a departure from his regular M.O.: "The suspect disrupts service primarily on the 2 and 5 lines from Flatbush Avenue in central Brooklyn to midtown Manhattan," Jalopnik reported last Monday. "He climbs aboard the rear of the train as it departs a station, unlocks the safety chains, somehow gets into the rear cab, and triggers the emergency brakes. Then, he disappears, most likely through the subway tunnels and out an emergency exit."
Thompson would allegedly ride one line uptown, and once he'd manufactured maximum chaos in one direction, would reverse course and delay trains headed downtown. One official initially dubbed him "a nutcase who is addicted to fucking with the trains," which, yeah: The MTA believes Thompson to be responsible for 747 delays and cancellations between March and May, simply because—as he reportedly told the officers who arrested him—he likes to "create mayhem" and "inconvenience people." Unfortunately for you, he's also free on $10,000 bond right now. Just something to chew on during your evening commute!
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