An MTA employee riding in the car first noticed the man and bugs, and notified police who then removed the bed bug hotel from the train at 96th St. As if to allay any fears about bedbugs in the train, the MTA employee is reported to have explained that the cars get cleaned every night. They should just dump that one in the ocean to be safe.
In a community forum on bedbugs last year, Edward Brownbear, an official at the Department of Housing, Preservation and Development, declared that bedbugs are known to be present in some subway stations, hiding in benches and other places while waiting for you to sit down so they can hitch a ride home. And City Room spoke with urban entomologist Michael Potter about bedbugs in subway stations, who said, "If you go way back 100 years ago, bedbugs were very common on trains, on buses, in taxicabs, in all modes of transport."
Below is Aaron's twitter accounting of the episode.
- Just saw a homeless man on the subway with bugs crawling all over him. I am freaked out I was close to him. http://twitter.com/aaronhowell/status/1369492814
- If I get bed bugs I am suing the MTA. http://twitter.com/aaronhowell/status/1369493895
- So the guy with the bugs got kicked off train by cops after an MTA employee tipped them off. He was my hero!!! Tiny little bugs ... Scary. http://twitter.com/aaronhowell/status/1370850963
- I came and re-enacted the shower scene from the crying game and wanted to burn my clothese. And then it got worse...To be cont. http://twitter.com/aaronhowell/status/1370805210
- I guess its illegal to ride train w/bugs since cops kicked the dude off. When guy rubbed hair one bug shot off him towards peeps across. http://twitter.com/aaronhowell/status/1370867432
The City Council recently created legislation for a Bed Bug Advisory Board.
Fuck bedbugs.