Baaaad Commute: Goats Are the New York City Subway’s Latest Struggle
NYPD and Transit workers prepare to retrieve goats from the tracks. Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit
Some crazy kids blocking the N train is the latest in a string of brash, goat-related incidents across the New York City region.
New York City subway riders have survived oppressive heat in train cars and on the platforms, while adjusting to increasing delays and years of shutdowns of major arteries. Now our nation’s largest subway system is facing livestock-induced disruptions.
In a tweet Monday morning, the Metro Transit Authority’s @NYCTSubway account informed its followers about the latest sign of subway dilemmas: goats.
“A new one for us (we think),” the agency stated. “They’re safe and not currently affecting service, but they are on the run. We’ll keep you posted.”
The stray goats were roaming the around tracks of the N train in Brooklyn. Once realizing the social media gold they had on their hands, the transit authority unleashed the quips.
The goats forced the transit authority to divert N trains to run on a different line in southern portions of Brooklyn for much of the morning as the New York Police Department removed the goats from the tracks. Shortly after noon, the police and transit authorities were able to safely remove the goats from the tracks.
“We thank ewe for your patience,” the authority tweeted.
This is not an isolated goat-related incident. In fact, herds of goats having their way has become a bit of a trend in Brooklyn and the greater Tri-State area surrounding New York City.
Last Tuesday, the NYPD had to hoof their way over to Bushwick to respond to another goat incident. Twenty goats escaped from a truck on their way to a slaughterhouse, spilling across Wycoff Avenue like a bunch of hipsters looking for a midnight vintage-store-slash-speakeasy. The late-night escapade ended with the assistance of a neighbor, who helped the driver corral the fugitive animals, according to the New York Post.
Perhaps the chaos of these bold goats attempting to flee to freedom originated one week prior, when more than 75 sheep and goats escaped from a livestock auction in Hackettstown, New Jersey, according to radio station WRNJ. “We never know what are next call for service will be, last night escaped sheep and goats,” Hackettstown Police commented on Twitter.
According to a police statement, “Approximately 50-60 of them were herded back into the pen by police and good Samaritans,” which means many of their co-conspirators remain at-large.
Are we in the midst of a goat uprising across the greater New York City area? Only time will tell.
Mitch Herckis is Senior Editor and Director of Strategic Initiatives for Route Fifty. He is based in Washington, D.C.
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