Turnstile Jumpers should be Prosecuted, Mayor Adams says

By Yehudit Garmaise

A large population of subway riders is jumping the turnstiles before boarding the train, and Mayor Adams said Monday those who evade paying their fares need to be prosecuted.

“The [district attorneys] need to [prosecute them],” said Adams, who insisted that prosecutors who decline to press charges against fare-beaters “send the wrong message,” to those who need to be held accountable for their actions, the New York Post reported.

“It’s a crime. It’s a crime,” the mayor repeated about people who steal subway rides.  

Manhattan’s DA Alvin Bragg has opted not to prosecute fare beaters and many other non-violent crimes, but Adams said that people who feel they can ride the subway without paying fares are also the same ones who commit crimes once on board.

In fact, allowing turnstile jumpers to board trains without consequence has fed into increased subway crime rates in recent years, Adams said,

“If we start saying it’s alright for you to jump the turnstile, we are creating an environment where any and everything goes,” Mayor Adams warned. 

“Now, you could defer prosecution, you could put people in programs, you could do all sorts of things: but let’s not ignore it, and that’s what’s happening to our subway system.”