Police: Man Behind MTA Urine Attacks May Be In Custody
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Police believe the man behind two urine attacks on MTA employees is now in custody.
The suspect is accused of punching a female subway conductor and dousing her with urine earlier this month in the Bronx. About an hour later, he allegedly threw urine on a female bus driver in the area.
"I'm scared to go outside," the conductor told CBS2. "Just scared to go anywhere. I can't ride the train because I'm afraid he might see me."
Police said they arrested a man Thursday for forcibly touching a woman's backside on the subway in Brooklyn. They believe he may be the same suspect involved in the urine attacks.
The connection is under investigation and charges are pending.
"This is great news for transit workers. A twisted individual targeted two of our members and committed vile attacks while they were simply doing their jobs. He needed to be caught and locked up," the Transport Workers Union Local 100 spokesperson Pete Donohue said. "But the larger problem remains. Transit workers are getting assaulted, harassed and abused, physically and verbally, all the time. The city has to do much more to protect us.
"In the subway, it seems like there are more and more people with serious problems on the trains and in the stations, and some of them pose a threat, not just to workers but our riders. This has to be addressed by City Hall."