MTA Guard Accused of “Nickeling” Subway Riders at Brooklyn Station
An MTA security guard is accused of “nickeling” the transit system by taking cash from riders and using a student OMNY card to swipe them into the Eighth Avenue-62nd Street subway station in Brooklyn last year, authorities said Thursday.
The guard, hired to combat fare evasion, was caught on surveillance video five times in July 2025, according to the MTA Inspector General’s Office. A rider reported the guard, who worked for an MTA contractor.
“Both station agents and security guards are expressly forbidden from exchanging cash for access to the subway system, a practice known internally as ‘nickeling,’” the MTA IG report said.
Officials said the guard admitted to some of the incidents and said she felt bad for riders who could not afford the fare. She also admitted finding the OMNY card on 18th Street in Brooklyn and using it during the incidents, the report said.
The MTA has barred the guard from working on any MTA property or contracts, officials said.
