MTA Inspectors Suspended After Video Shows Them Roughing Up Passenger

Four members of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (MTA) "EAGLE" fare inspection team have been suspended pending an investigation after video surfaced showing them forcefully detaining a Brooklyn school dean accused of not paying a $3 fare. The incident, which occurred on a B14 bus on October 6, has prompted a rider advocacy group to demand the suspension of the entire fare enforcement program.

The video captured the inspectors removing the dean, Kyle Taylor, from the bus and pressing him against a bus shelter. Taylor, who is a dean at Mott Bridges Academy in Brownsville, stated that he had paid his fare on a previous bus and placed the transfer in the fare box, but had no proof of payment when inspectors demanded identification. His attorney, Benjamin Pinczewski, told The Post that Taylor suffered injuries to his back, neck, shoulder, arm, and elbow, and is now afraid to ride public transit.

"We have the receipts," Pinczewski said. "To treat a human being in such an inhumane way makes no sense whether it’s over a $3 fare or a $300 fare. We’re all human beings and we deserve to be treated with respect and dignity."

An NYPD officer intervened and separated Taylor from the inspectors. Taylor filed a harassment complaint, and one of the fare inspectors also filed a complaint, according to the NYPD. No arrests were made.

MTA Chairman Janno Lieber acknowledged that parts of the footage were "concerning" and stated that the inspectors involved were "on the bench" during the investigation. "You never want our folks to be in physical altercations with customers. It’s something we work hard to avoid," Lieber said.

The rider group Passengers United has called on Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James to halt the fare inspection program pending further review of inspectors' training and accountability. The group also questioned why inspectors are not equipped with body cameras.

"There is no excuse for aggression or violence from fare inspectors," Passengers United said in a statement. "Conduct like this damages public trust in the MTA and does nothing to bring New Yorkers back to public transit. Bus riders deserve better."

Pinczewski indicated that Taylor plans to file a lawsuit and hopes to prevent similar incidents from happening to others. "Everyone who rides the bus should be safe from something like this happening to them," he said.

The unarmed EAGLE team was deployed in 2024 to combat fare evasion, which costs the MTA hundreds of millions of dollars annually.