On Wednesday, vandals smashed dozens of train windows on multiple subway lines, causing $500,000 in damage and disrupting commutes for hundreds of thousands of passengers.
The vandalism began around 12:55 a.m. Tuesday and continued until 6 a.m. Wednesday on multiple subway lines, according to the police department. One of those lines, the W line, remained suspended until after 5 p.m. Wednesday. The D, N, Q and R lines were also affected, but service along these lines has since been restored.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said 85 windows were broken on 43 trains. By 11 a.m. Wednesday, crews had repaired 25 trains. MTA officials estimate the damage at about $500,000.
Richard Davey, president of the New York City Transit Authority, said at a press conference Wednesday that the windows were broken by “criminals.” He said he was outraged by the strain the vandalism had placed on the city during a busy time of travel with students recently returning to school.
Investigators are examining footage from stations and depots along the line.
“We’ll find it,” said Mr. Davey. “We have your photo. We have no doubt that we will find you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”
Officials said the damage was done from inside the subway car. MTA officials said the crash occurred as the train was traveling along the N, W, Q, B, D and F lines, and the vandals targeted the rear of the train. Most of the affected trains departed from the Coney Island Yard in Brooklyn, but others were based in the Bronx and Queens.
Davey said crews were removing windows from old trains that were being stored to replace broken windows.
The vandalism was reminiscent of a spate of incidents in early 2020, when about 100 windows were smashed along Highway 7 over a two-month period.
At a news conference Wednesday, Davie praised the MTA’s plan to install two surveillance cameras in every subway car, saying the technology will help authorities catch vandals.
“It may seem like a prank, and we don’t know what the criminals are thinking, but it certainly doesn’t help us serve New Yorkers,” Davey said.