Alex O’Keefe, a former writer for FX’s “The Bear,” was removed from a Metro-North train in the Bronx after a dispute over seating led to police intervention, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).
The incident occurred at Fordham station. Authorities said officers were dispatched after a conductor reported that a passenger was occupying two seats and refused to comply when asked to remove his feet from one of them, according to ABC News. Police identified the passenger as a 31-year-old man, later confirmed by O’Keefe on social media to be himself.
O’Keefe, who is Black, said the confrontation began when an older white woman objected to how he was sitting.
“An old white woman got on the train and immediately pointed at me and told me to correct how I was sitting,” he wrote on Instagram. “I refused so she went to the conductor and complained. The conductor called the police and stopped the train.”
MTA Police said officers instructed O’Keefe to exit the train and wait on the platform, where he could board the next train. When he did not comply, officers handcuffed him and removed him from the car. Authorities said the incident caused a six-minute delay for hundreds of riders.
Video posted by O’Keefe shows officers attempting to place him in handcuffs as he pointed toward the woman who reported him. In the footage, O’Keefe can be heard saying, “You’re going to arrest the one Black dude on the train because this white woman said she didn’t like the way I was sitting.”
Police in the video can be heard instructing him to stop resisting.
O’Keefe said he was detained, though officials emphasized he was not formally arrested. According to the MTA, he was issued a summons for disorderly conduct and permitted to reboard a later train. Disorderly conduct is a violation, not a criminal charge.
The MTA confirmed body camera video exists, but said it is not currently available. Under MTA rules, passengers may face a $50 fine for occupying multiple seats by lying down or placing feet on the seats, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Riders who refuse to comply with an officer’s order may be ejected from the train.
O’Keefe, who worked on the first season of “The Bear,” described the encounter as discriminatory.
“They pulled me off the train and arrested me without even talking to the Karen who reported the one Black person on the train,” he said.
The MTA said the matter ended at the station with a summons.
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