Train Passenger Spit On after Telling Man to Put on a Mask Prior to the Westport Station
Video shows fight on Metro-North train near Westport over mask-wearing
A video taken Wednesday morning shows a fight on a Metro-North train near Westport heading to Grand Central after a younger rider approached another for not wearing a mask.
"I’ve been commuting by train for over a decade and you know, usually get the verbal confrontations, you know, 'Your radio’s too high. Do you have headphones? This is the quiet car,'" says Eric Lewin, who witnessed the incident. "The kid goes, 'I can’t wear a mask because of some type of condition I have,' and, you know, 'I was here first, you can move away if you want to.' One thing led to another, another person got involved, kind of pointed at the sign that said the masks were mandatory for the trip and then the younger individual spit at the guy."
That's when things got violent.
Renee Price with the MTA released a statement that says, "While masks are required when riding our trains, we do not encourage passengers to approach other customers regarding masks. Customers are encouraged to contact an MTA employee or a police officer, who have free masks they can distribute, and are trained in how to handle situations of this nature."
"You know, 99% on the train are wearing them but there are some people who just won't wear it and sometimes the conductor will confront them, you know, tell them this is mandatory. They actually do make announcements at every stop that you must wear one," Lewis says.
If you don't wear a mask, the fine is $100 in Connecticut and $50 in New York. News 12 is told the MTA has handed out 700,000 free masks to riders over the past year.
Per policy, the conductor called police. Officers met the train in Westport, and say the man not wearing a mask ran off.
Officials say the other person involved in the confrontation had cuts to his face and was treated by EMS at the scene.