Conductor Alerts Police, Who Make Gun Arrest on Transit Property

OCTOBER 14—Conductor Abdul Adetunji, heading home last Saturday after a visit at MAC 3 for a random test, saw an encounter between three men on the A train that had the potential to escalate into a violent situation.

"I'm actually trying to doze off a little bit," said Adetunji, after noticing two young men on the train who were rolling weed, but not bothering anyone. "Then I saw another gentleman who gets on the train, wearing a ski mask and gloves. The first two start throwing gang signs at the third man, who starts throwing gang signs back. Then one of the men who was already on the train lifts up his waistband to show a firearm."

In full MTA uniform, Adetunji maintained a low profile on the southbound A Train and kept his eyes on the men as the train rolled to 59th Street, where one man—though not the one with the gun—exited.

Adetunji looked for police on the platform at Columbus Circle, but saw none there or at the next stop, 42nd Street. At 34th, Adetunji got off the train and went to the Conductor’s station, notifying him about the situation.

The conductor held the train and called the control center while Adetunji found police on the northbound platform, bringing them over to the other side.

Police Officer Danny Luo, a five-year member of the Strategic Response Group, said that after Adetunji pointed the men out, “we told them to come out of the train, and then we frisked them.”

But as the Conductor stood by, the man with the gun in his waistband started fighting with Officer Luo. Adetunji found himself getting involved even further.

“The officer was saying, don’t reach—I jumped in and I was holding the guy’s hand, and I told him, ‘hey, just relax, bro.’ It’s a young Black man like me. I was telling him, ‘yo, bro, don’t do that.’"

The man with the gun was soon subdued and taken into custody.

Officer Luo said the Conductor “was helping us, holding the guy’s hand, stopping him from reaching into his pants and getting the gun out.

“He was a really good citizen, helping us stopping this guy,” the Officer said. “He should get a reward for this case. This guy, he had a mad history. He was just picked up for a gunpoint robbery, last week, and now he’s got a second gun on the street. Riding the trains, that’s very dangerous.”

Upon hearing of his encounter with the armed man, TWU Local 100 President John V. Chiarello commended his actions.

"Our member Abdul Adetunji is exactly the kind of Conductor we need in the subway system—going above and beyond to keep passengers safe, even while on the way home. I applaud his bravery and commitment to doing the right thing."

Adetunji, a five-year NYCT veteran, was heading home to his wife and two children in New Jersey. By acting quickly and thoughtfully, he helped get a dangerous criminal off the streets—and made the system safer for all of us.