MTA Police: Man pulls knife on conductor over fare, then escapes

The MTA Police are investigating an incident Thursday night involving a Long Island Rail Road passenger who they say pulled a knife on a conductor, then escaped out a train window.

The incident took place around 6:20 p.m. on a Ronkonkoma branch train bound for Penn Station, according to railroad spokeswoman Meredith Daniels. The suspect, who has not been identified, boarded at Brentwood and “got into a dispute with the conductor, who was attempting to collect the fare.”

“The man took out a folded pocket knife, which remained folded, and then exited through the emergency window and fled,” Daniels said.

The train was temporarily held at the station, and left Brentwood at 7:02 p.m. Police are looking for more information on the suspect, whom they have accused of “menacing.”

Anthony Simon, who heads the union representing LIRR conductors, called on the MTA Police to put more officers on trains to protect crews.

“We cannot wait for one of our members to be seriously hurt, or worse,” said Simon, general chairman of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers. “The commuter rails are being shortchanged over the priorities of subways. Our employees matter, too.”

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.