Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday that he isn’t supportive of the Manhattan District Attorney’s new plan to stop prosecuting turnstile jumpers.
“We are not in… agreement with the DA,” de Blasio said at a press conference with NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill.
“People have to pay to get on the subways and fare evasion is not acceptable and we cannot create a situation where people think it’s acceptable.”
O’Neill agreed with the mayor.
“It’s important to control access to the subway,” he said.
The top cop pointed out that just over the weekend, police arrested a fare beater who had been busted 52 times — but the DA’s office declined to prosecute.
“That is not helping keep people in the city safe,” O’Neill said.
De Blasio said that many turnstile jumpers aren’t evading fares because they’re strapped for cash.
“A lot of people who commit fare evasion and the police encounter have a lot of money on them,” the mayor said.
“We have a lot of work we have to do to see if we can get on the same page as the DA.”
The new move has upset cops and subway officials, including MTA Chairman Joe Lhota, who sent a letter to Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance Jr. to “strenuously protest” the plan.
Last Thursday, cops arrested an alleged fare beater who was wanted for attempted murder in Virginia. Transit sources said that’s exactly why turnstile jumpers need to be prosecuted.