Two Homeless Men Found Dead On NYC Subways In ‘Out Of Control’ 12-Hour Period

[Sugar Cookie]

Two dead homeless men were found on Big Apple subway trains in less than 12 hours over the weekend — alarming workers as the MTA continues to struggle with vagrants in the system amid the coronavirus outbreak.

“The homeless situation is out of control,” said a train operator who only identified himself as Eddie, who came upon the body on the C Train Friday. “You don’t even know if the man died of coronavirus.”

The first body, identified by police as a 56-year-old man, was discovered by transit workers Friday around 9:30 p.m. on a C Train at the 168th Street station in Washington Heights, according to police.

Then on Saturday, passersby found 61-year-old Robert Mangual “unconscious and unresponsive” on a 4 Train at the Utica Avenue station in Brooklyn at 8:20 a.m., cops said. The straphangers called 911 and EMS responders pronounced Mangual dead.

Police said both men were believed to be homeless.

Transit workers told The Post that the two deaths were a symptom of the persistent homeless presence now in the subway system as straphangers stay away amid stay-at-home restrictions.

“Two dead bodies in one 24-hour period is concerning to us,” said Yann Hicks, a veteran MTA train operator, and union rep. “Now there are two incidents in the past few days, and there could be more I don’t know about.”

“What it adds up to for us is, what is the cause of the death of these two people?” Hicks said. “Is it coronavirus? Overdose?”

According to Hicks, it’s gotten so bad even MTA workers don’t want to ride the rails.

“I don’t really want to ride the trains for free anymore because I’m afraid to ride the train,” the union rep said. “The trains are overwhelmed with homeless and you never know what’s going to happen.”

“I have to walk through seven to 10 cars just to find a clean car, and be socially distant from vagrants on seats.”

There have been 26 deaths on MTA subways between January and the end of April this year, 11 from natural causes, according to the city Transit Office of System Safety.

That’s up from 19 over the same period last year, when nine of the deaths were attributed to natural causes.

“These tragedies are heartbreaking and we are fully cooperating with the NYPD on their investigation,” MTA spokesman Ken Lovett said in a statement Sunday.

“We have repeatedly said the subways are no replacement for a shelter and if these two individuals were indeed homeless, as suspected, it’s clear more needs to be done by the city to ensure all New Yorkers have access to needed shelter and services.”

Two homeless men found dead on NYC subways in ‘out of control’ 12-hour period

Two dead homeless men were found on Big Apple subway trains in less than 12 hours over the weekend — alarming workers as the MTA continues to struggle with vagrants in the system amid the coronavir…

nypost.com

 

[Sejanus]

The filth, smell and utter grossness.
Locked in a metal tube underground in what is essentially a mobile group coffin.





I don't know how the homeless can stand it.

 

[Satanica]

(CNN)For the first time in its 115-year history, New York City deliberately shut down its entire subway system Wednesday morning.

The reason: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) deep cleaned to avoid spread of the coronavirus.
[....]
The New York City subway been shut down because of weather: Hurricane Irene in 2011 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012. During the blizzard of 2015, the system canceled passenger service but equipment trains kept running.

But this is the first planned shutdown.

The cleanings will be done on a nightly basis, from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. When the cleaning is done, every single subway car will be disinfected.
[....]
To accommodate the loss of train service, the MTA is adding several hundred buses to its typical overnight routes to make sure essential workers have access to transportation.

Subway officials warned New York residents that there may be hiccups in executing the unprecedented closure.

"If this were a normal moment, we would have planned this for months," New York City Transit President Sarah Feinberg said.

Subway ridership during the coronavirus crisis is down 90% from pre-pandemic times. But about 11,000 people still have used the subway from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. daily during the pandemic, the MTA said.

The pandemic already had forced changes to service. MTA has installed vinyl shields on buses to further separate passengers and drivers, and it is checking more than 3,500 employees a day for fevers.
More than 80 MTA employees, including at least 50 who worked in the subway, have died from complications related to coronavirus, the authority says.

For the first time in its history, New York City deliberately shut down its entire subway system this morning | CNN

The New York City subway been shut down because of weather: Hurricane Irene in 2011 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012. During the blizzard of 2015, the system canceled passenger service but equipment trains kept running. But this is the first planned shutdown.

www.cnn.com