Suspicious Fires Inside Subway Cars Under Investigation; Adams Touts Plan To Boost Police & Mental Health Officials In Transit System
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- At least two suspicious fires have been set inside subway cars on the 1 line in less than a week, presenting a new safety concern for commuters.
Police believe the fires were intentionally set and are searching for suspects, CBS2's Elijah Westbrook reported Thursday.
Cellphone video showed the inside of a car engulfed in flames around 10 a.m. last Friday at the 18th Street station.
Five days later, police responded to another fire on a 1 train at the 181st Street station. MTA workers extinguished a burning shopping cart that was filled with debris on the train.
While no one was hurt in either fire, the incidents are alarming to almost any subway rider.
"It's pretty scary what's going on," Marin Rosman said Thursday at the 18th Street station. "I would definitely feel more safe if there were police around and people that I know would be looking out for us on the train."
That's exactly what Mayor Eric Adams said he and Gov. Kathy Hochul plan on doing.
Thursday morning on CBS2 News, Adams touted a joint initiative designed to flood the city's transit system with cops and mental health officials.
"We're not going to have a subway system that would duplicate as someone's home or bedroom. We're going to place people in the proper facilities to get the help that they deserve," Adams said.
The NYPD said it's looking for the suspects responsible for the fires, though it's unclear who set them and if the fires are related.
In a statement, an MTA spokesperson said the agency is on board with the mayor's approach in providing more mental health services and policing so the millions of New Yorkers who rely on the system, "can get to where they're going safely and quickly."
Subway fires are not always harmless. Two years ago, a train operator was killed when the 2 train caught fire near the Central Park North station.
