Police say three masked teenagers were busted in Brooklyn after allegedly trying to break into subway conductor cabins and swipe keys that investigators link to a recent run of unauthorized train “joyrides.” The incidents unfolded near Bay Parkway in Midwood and at 55th Street in Borough Park, where transit sources say an accomplice reportedly reached through a cab window to snatch a train-door key. Two 15-year-olds and a 16-year-old were taken into custody late Tuesday as detectives work to figure out how the youths got the tools and keys used to get into the cabs.
According to the New York Daily News, the three were caught after allegedly trying to enter the conductor’s cab of a southbound F train at Bay Parkway on May 26. Authorities told the outlet that MTA subway keys were found on two of the teens and that stolen keys have been central to the recent spate of train break-ins and thefts.
Pattern of break-ins and joyrides
The arrests follow other incidents this spring in which teens allegedly broke into parked trains and briefly operated them, raising fresh safety alarms across the system. Patch reported in April on unauthorized moves in Queens, and Bronx teen charged after alleged joyride is one earlier Hoodline account officials point to as part of a recurring problem that involves stolen MTA gear and social-media-fueled stunts.
What the MTA is doing
Transit officials have been quietly trying to harden cab doors. The agency began a pilot of high-security deadbolts on some No. 7 trains in late 2025 and says it is increasing surveillance and coordinating with the NYPD to catch break-ins. Reporting that first publicized the deadbolt installations traced the move to concerns about the easy availability of master or “skeleton” keys that can open multiple access points. The New York Daily News first covered the deadbolt pilot.
Police say the teens were detained and that the investigation is ongoing. It was not immediately clear whether prosecutors would file charges, and officials have not released booking details. Transit safety advocates warn that as long as keys and makeshift tools are circulating, and videos of the stunts are spreading online, the temptation for copycat break-ins remains a pressing concern that the MTA and NYPD say they are working to address. 1010 WINS has noted past incidents in which stolen keys played a role, underscoring the broader pattern that authorities are confronting.
