A Brooklyn-bound D Train commute turned bizarre, even by New York City subway standards, on Wednesday [August 24], when strap-hangers found themselves dodging insects as they crossed the Manhattan Bridge. The incident happened during rush-hour just after 6:00 p.m., when a woman who appeared to be suffering from a bout of mental illness set a swarm of crickets loose, setting off a scene of chaos and anxiety.
“We thought there was like a chemical attack,” 34-year-old Rory Frizell said of the incident. According to the Bensonhurst resident, most had been ignoring the woman as she hollered about, but she drew the attention of commuters who had grown worried after a woman yelled out "she has a jar." That's when hysteria ensued, as she emptied the jar, which also contained worms. One passenger reportedly pulled the emergency brake, causing the train to stop. Matters only got worse at that point, as she began urinating on herself and attempted to lift her dress to defecate. “It was, in a word, chaotic. It was just utter chaos,” he said.
After approximately 20 minutes, the train operator unlocked the car doors to allow passengers to make an exit. Police waited at the Dekalb stop on the opposite end of the bridge, where she was taken into custody. The unidentified woman was checked into psychiatric observation at New York Methodist Hospital.
Source: nydailynews.com
