New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) on Tuesday said he felt unsafe riding the city’s subway on his first day as mayor in remarks that come days after a woman was killed when she was pushed in front of an oncoming train.
“On day one, I took the subway system, I felt unsafe,” Adams said, recounting when he rode the train shortly after taking the oath of office, according to ABC News. “I saw homeless everywhere. People were yelling on the trains. There was a feeling of disorder. So as we deal with the crime problem, we also have to deal with the fact people feel unsafe.”
Adams said that he called 911 to report a fight during his ride on Jan. 1 and also witnessed one passenger yelling and another sleeping on the train, the news outlet noted.
The mayor, who has spent just over two weeks in his new role, has previously expressed that he is a fan of the train system. In his initial response to Saturday’s death, Adams voiced that the trains are safe.
“When you have an incident like this, the perception is what we’re fighting against. This is a safe system,” Adams said during a news conference.
Despite those comments, Adams’s administration had announced plans to increase police presence and to tackle “actual crime” and “the perception of crime” in the subway system before the train killing, ABC News reported.
“We’re going to drive down crime and we’re going to make sure New Yorkers feel safe in our subway system, and they don’t feel that way now. I don’t feel that way when I take the train every day or when I’m moving throughout our transportation system,” Adams said on Tuesday.
Acting Chair and CEO of Metropolitan Transportation Authority Janno Lieber praised the mayor’s comments as displaying that “he gets it,” according to ABC News.
“The mayor is showing he gets it and he is sensitive to the way New Yorkers are feeling,” Lieber said. “People don’t feel based on statistics. They feel based on their personal experience and what they’re hearing.”