Seventeen-year-old girl takes New York subway train for joyride

Surveillance photos of the two suspects were released by the NYPD. Photo / The Telegraph

• A 17-year-old girl wearing a shower cap allegedly took a New York subway train for a joyride before crashing it.
• The girl has been arrested and charged with criminal mischief and reckless endangerment.
• Police are searching for her male companion, who fled the scene with her after the crash.

A teenager wearing a shower cap allegedly took a New York subway train for a joyride before crashing it.

The 17-year-old girl is suspected of being one of two people who commandeered the empty train from Briarwood subway station in Queens in the early hours of September 12.

They subsequently crashed into a parked train and fled the scene on foot. No injuries were reported following the collision.

The 17-year-old has been arrested and charged with criminal mischief and reckless endangerment, while authorities are still searching for her companion.

It is unclear how the pair were able to get into the train, despite requests for clarification by the Telegraph. A spokesman for the New York Police Department indicated that the issue was likely to be under investigation.

Surveillance images released by police show a woman wearing tight pink shorts, large hoop earrings and what appears to be a shower cap walking through the unoccupied train carriage. A man was with her.

Police have not clarified how far the duo travelled in the train before it crashed, how fast they were going, or the nature of the damage that was caused.

Officers said in a statement that the pair “entered an unoccupied train and operated it, causing a collision and damage to the train”.

In an appeal for information this week, officers said they were seeking a “female with a medium build and medium complexion”.

“She was last seen wearing a pink shower cap, a pink sleeveless shirt, pink shorts, and carrying a pink handbag,” the statement added.

Her companion was described as a “male with a slim build and light complexion” who was “last seen wearing a blue tank top, red shorts, and carrying a black backpack”.

A similar incident took place in January at Forest Hills-71st Avenue station, also in Queens, when joyriders drove the train a short distance before fleeing.

At the time, officials speculated that the culprits used a stolen key to operate the train.