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An MTA representative told People on Thursday, September 18th, a former bear writer was handcuffed and removed from Metrono Strain in New York City.
In an Instagram post Thursday, Alex O’Keefe said that a white woman was handcuffed and moved from the train to Connecticut after complaining to the conductor about how black man O’Keefe sat.
O’Keefe, 31, recorded the interaction as Metropolitan Transport police took their wrists and handcuffed them. An MTA representative told those who were not arrested.
“I’m a black guy on the train,” O’Keefe told MTA police. “This white woman said she doesn’t like the way I sit on the train. So you called the police. So you called the police to arrest a black man on the train.”
“I’ve done nothing illegal,” O’Keefe said several times.
When O’Keefe was taken into custody, another officer told him he was resisting his arrest. He then asked what they were arresting him and they told him “disorderly acts.”
O’Keefe’s Instagram post also included a photo of the woman he filed a complaint with, as well as a nearby passenger. The post ended with a video of O’Keefe handcuffed against a wall on a train platform in the Bronx while four officers were writing the case.
The MTA said the way O’Keefe was sitting was breaking the MTA rules. Because, following the MTA statement, both legs were extended to adjacent seats recorded on the security camera video next to them.
Alex O’Keefe/Instagram
The incident first occurred around 10:30am on Thursday, September 18th, according to a statement from the MTA. MTA police officers responded to reports that there were “disordered passengers” on the train from Grand Central Terminal in New York City to New Haven, Connecticut.
“The conductor reported that two passengers refusing to remove their legs from one of the seats,” according to a statement from the MTA. “When an MTAPD officer boarded, he refused police instructions. The officer told passengers to leave the train on the platform, where he could board the next train.”
The MTA said he “continued to refuse the exit,” and the train was delayed by another six minutes.
At about 10:50, O’Keefe was issued a summon for disorderly conduct, violations, without further incident. He was then allowed to board the next train.
Alex O’Keefe/Instagram
On Monday, September 22nd, MTA Chairman Janno Lieber addressed the case on another topic at a press conference.
“If you’re stepping into your seat, you’re breaking the rules of the commuter railway and the entire MTA,” Lieber said.
Lieber said he never saw the video, but said, “The bottom line shouldn’t delay the train by arguing with everyone for a long time.”
“Does the police have to get involved because someone won’t leave their feet out of their seats? Get your feet out of their seats. That’s easy. And we respect the other passengers,” Lieber said.
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O’Keefe did not immediately respond to people’s requests for details on Monday. O’Keefe worked on the first season of Bears in 2022.
