SUNSET PARK — A METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY investigation found that a subway station security guard repeatedly accepted cash from riders and tapped them through the subway gate using a student OMNY card.
The guard was employed by an MTA contractor at the Sunset Park 8th Avenue N-line station’s main entrance during the 2-10 p.m. tour, according to a report released Thursday by MTA Inspector General Daniel Cort. Acting on a customer tip, the investigation turned up video evidence of five separate instances in which the security guard appeared to accept cash from customers before providing entry.
“The gate guards are paid to deter farebeating and provide a sense of security to the riding public, not to improperly sell subway system entry and pocket the cash,” Cort said. “I am grateful to the rider who reported this misconduct.”
NYC Transit told the Inspector General’s Office it has prohibited the guard from working for the agency, and that the contractor was conducting a full review of its policies and procedures.
Subway station agents and security guards are forbidden from exchanging cash for access to the subway system, a practice known internally as “nickeling.”
✰✰✰
