MTA worker fired after allegedly flying to Florida home while still on clock in NYC

An MTA employee was fired after he was allegedly caught hundreds of miles away, flying to his home in Florida when he was supposed to be on the job in the New York City subway, an investigation revealed.

The transit authority's inspector general said Tuesday that the worker took multiple flights to his second home in the Sunshine State between Jan. 2021 and June 2022 while he was supposed to be overseeing elevator inspections. He was also found to not swipe his identification at the end of his shift, and would later falsely report when he left for the day to his supervisor, the investigation found.

Records indicated that the general superintendent — responsible for overseeing the inspection, maintenance and repairs of elevators and escalators from 14th Street in Manhattan up to into the Bronx — claimed to be doing "fieldwork" when in reality he was aboard a flight to Florida, according to MTA Inspector General Daniel Cort.

"Elevators and escalators are a critical component of our transportation system, especially for people with mobility challenges who depend on them," said Cort. "Managers who oversee the maintenance of elevators and escalators perform a crucial role and cannot shirk their responsibilities. This individual has now been held accountable for his failure to perform his duties and for his dishonesty."

Investigators found that the worker pocketed nearly $3,000 for about 49 hours of work he claimed to have done, but did not.

In addition to being fired from New York City Transit, the inspector general recommended the worker return the money he was paid for that time.