A subway conductor was assaulted this morning on a J Train at the Essex Street station. The incident caused a major rush hour backup.
It happened just before 9 a.m. There was chaos on the train after some passengers reportedly thought they smelled smoke. One Twitter user noted, “Someone yelled run and all hell broke loose.” In a video posted online, a woman is heard saying, “Right now we don’t know what is going on, but no one here is hurt… At this moment you are safe.”
The conductor was taken to Beth Israel Hospital. Channel 2 reported that she suffered only minor injuries. A suspect was arrested.
Commuters were stuck on the train for up to an hour.
UPDATED 2:44 p.m. It turns out the conductor was shoved to the ground by an off-duty cop. More from the Daily News:
Witnesses told police that when the conductor opened the door to her booth, it struck an off-duty cop on the train, who began to yell at her. The officer’s name was not immediately known. After words were exchanged, the cop shoved the conductor, who fell to the ground and injured her arm, police said. When she got up, she pulled the emergency brake, stopping the train in its track halfway into the tunnel… Police took the off-duty cop into custody. Charges were pending. People convicted of assualting MTA employyes can face up to seven years behind bars.
The officer has been identified as 33-year-old Tremel Davis. He has been charged with second-degree assault and suspended without pay.
Something just happened on the J train. Someone yelled run and all hell broke loose. pic.twitter.com/qvFzb1z986
— wbernard (@wbernard) September 14, 2016
When ppl block train doors and we are all evacuated = 30min train delays #mta #subway #likechina pic.twitter.com/YLgDbBrq8c
— Natasha Fong (@Natasha_fong) September 14, 2016
