Subway crime has dipped within the Large Apple — however attempt telling that to the victims of those transit terrors.
A cluster of 63 profession criminals continues to wreak havoc within the metropolis’s underground, racking up greater than 5,000 busts between them — but solely 5 of them are at present behind bars, The Put up has discovered.
The motley crew has amassed a disturbing rap sheet for crimes together with assault, theft, theft, turnstile-jumping and a string of different nuisance offenses — however they largely stay free as a result of the state’s lax criminal-justice reforms bar judges from holding them on bail.
“Crime is down within the subways, however it’s the identical handful of criminals making it really feel like chaos,” a annoyed law-enforcement supply stated. “This child gloves strategy to bail and lack of prosecution isn’t slicing it.”
The most recent NYPD statistics present that transit crime within the 5 boroughs has been on the decline, down 3.8% over the primary eight months of the 12 months in comparison with the identical interval in 2024 and dipping practically 6% prior to now two years due to centered enforcement and police deployments.
That’s no due to the state’s 2019 felony justice reforms, which bar judges from setting bail on most crimes, together with all non-violent crimes.
Beneath the so-called reforms, repeat offenders busted for any crime aside from violent felonies sometimes get a slap on the wrist and are minimize unfastened whereas their circumstances are pending — with many allegedly committing new crimes.
That’s been the case with dozens of transit system offenders, in line with sources.
Among the many most infamous is Michael Wilson, a 39-year-old vagrant with 198 complete arrests, 190 of them tied to the transit system — and 36 of them this 12 months alone.
Wilson’s rap sheet consists of a number of arrests for alleged felony tampering for rigging MetroCard dispensers.
One other repeat offender is 28-year-old Kenney Mitchell, who has been arrested a complete of 149 instances in his life, together with 18 instances simply since Might of this 12 months for alleged theft and forgery — and in June after he was discovered mendacity on a C prepare platform with a pocket filled with crack vials, sources stated.
Carlos Baezcaban, 53, has logged 72 profession arrests, together with for alleged grand larceny, trespassing and drug possession. That depend consists of the six instances he has been busted since he was placed on probation in Might for a possession of stolen property conviction.
A number of the offenders have been hit with sex-related crimes reminiscent of public lewdness and forcible touching.
Matthew Leon, 26, has 29 arrests underneath his belt — with 13 that had been sex-related, together with for allegedly fondling feminine straphangers and urgent towards others.
One other repeat offender, 38-year-old Jamar Cobb, has logged 48 profession arrests together with for alleged theft and public lewdness and theft.
Shaquille Clarke, 32, whose 18 arrests embrace alleged forcible touching and theft, has been charged with urgent towards a girl within the subways and slugging a girl to take her cellphone, sources stated.
Clarke was positioned on probation in Might for a theft conviction and has been arrested as soon as since.
Of the six persistent offenders named above, just one, Leon, is at present behind bars. The remainder are nonetheless roaming the streets and prepare system.
Leon was lastly ordered held with out bail on a February cost of forcible touching of a minor in Queens.
The accused scofflaws have been represented by a number of attorneys over time, primarily public defenders, whereas a few of the costs towards them had been minor and didn’t contain the necessity for an legal professional.
The Authorized Assist Society, which helps present public defenders, declined to remark. The Put up reached out to quite a few attorneys who’ve repped a few of the scofflaws, however the attorneys both didn’t return requires remark or wouldn’t talk about the circumstances.
