Two dead homeless men were found on Big Apple subway trains in less than 12 hours this weekend — and it has some transit workers freaked out.
“I think it’s horrendous there’s no word on this,” said Yann Hicks, a veteran MTA train operator, and union rep. “Two months ago this would be front-page news. Now there are two incidents in the past few days, and there could be more I don’t know about.”
“What it adds up to for us is, what is the cause of the death of these two people?” Hicks said. “Is it coronavirus? Overdose? Two dead bodies in one 24-hour period is concerning to us.”
With coronavirus stay-at-home restrictions still in place in the five boroughs, straphangers have largely abandoned the subway system, opening the doors for an influx of homeless people camping inside the city transit system.
The first grisly find, identified by police as a 56-year-old man, was discovered by transit workers Friday around 9:30 p.m. on a C Train at the 168th Street station in Washington Heights.
Then on Saturday, passersby found 61-year-old Robert Mangual “unconscious and unresponsive” on a 4 Train at the Utica Avenue station in Brooklyn at 8:20 a.m., according to police. The straphangers called 911 and EMS responders pronounced Mangual dead.
Police said both men were believed to be homeless.
Transit workers told The Post that the two deaths were a symptom of the persistent homeless presence now in the city subway system.
“The homeless situation is out of control,” said a train operator who would only identify himself as Eddie, who came upon the body on the C Train Friday. “You don’t even know if the man died of coronavirus.”
According to Hicks, it’s gotten so even transit workers don’t want to ride the rails.
“I don’t really want to ride the trains for free anymore because I’m afraid to ride the train,” the union rep said. “The trains are overwhelmed with homeless and you never know what’s going to happen.”
“I have to walk through seven to 10 cars just to find a clean car, and be socially distant from vagrants on seats.”
Last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that all train service would halt overnight between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. starting on May 6 so trains could be cleared out and disinfected. All riders will be required to leave stations after disembarking, officials have said.
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Two homeless men found dead on NYC subways in 'concerning' 12-hour period - New York Post
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