A Brooklyn man who was arrested for the 18th time for subway crimes that police say have caused hundreds of delays for commuters was released without bail, the Wall Street Journal reports. Isaiah Thompson, 23, was arrested again on Friday, when he turned himself in after he was seen riding on the outside of a train near Manhattan’s Union Square, said New York police officials. Thompson was “subway surfing” outside a train when witnesses spotted him and alerted authorities. Police held Thompson in custody until Sunday, when he pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of reckless endangerment and criminal trespassing and was released.
Thompson already was facing charges for crimes for which he was arrested in May, when he was accused of pulling the emergency brake on a train during the evening rush hour in Manhattan, causing delays for thousands of commuters. Thompson has been arrested 18 times for crimes in and around trains since July 2017, police officials said, adding that his actions have caused hundreds of train delays. Police officials, who have pushed for restrictions on individuals who have committed multiple offenses on New York City subways, said Thompson shouldn’t be allowed to freely roam the transit system. “If arrest and the current judicial penalties are not deterring behavior, we have an obligation to New Yorkers to use stronger methods to stop these offenses, including exclusion,” said police spokeswoman Devora Kaye.