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Armed felons, sex offenders, and mob attacks — 15 MBTA crimes that actually happened since last summer

Tuesday, March 3, 2026•
14 min read
MDN Staff
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Armed felons, sex offenders, and mob attacks — 15 MBTA crimes that actually happened since last summer

From teens kicking riders into moving trains to sex offenders with $500 bail — the exposed underbelly of Boston's public transit system

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BOSTON — Every few days, MBTA Transit Police post something on X that makes you wonder whether Boston's subway system has quietly become the most dangerous place in the city.
A teenager kicks a commuter into a moving train. A sex offender gets $500 bail. A convicted felon pulls a loaded Beretta on a bus passenger. A rapist wanted for strangulation near South Station has riders looking over their shoulders.
These aren't hypotheticals. They're all real incidents from the last seven months — and Mass Daily News has covered every one of them. Back in November, we asked the question: is the MBTA even safe to ride? Four months later, the answer has only gotten worse.
Here are 15 of the wildest, most disturbing, and most infuriating MBTA stories we've reported since last summer.

1. A 14-year-old kicks a commuter into a moving train at Back Bay

A mob of teenagers descended on a man at Back Bay Station on February 18 over a dispute about a transit card. The 14-year-old kicked the victim in the face so hard he was propelled backward into a departing subway train, leaving him bloodied on the platform. A nurse who witnessed the attack rushed to help, keeping the man conscious while a transit police officer applied pressure to his wound. EMTs didn't arrive for another 10 agonizing minutes.
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2. Seven teens board the Orange Line and beat an 18-year-old — one of them filmed it

A group of seven juveniles boarded the Orange Line at Downtown Crossing and targeted an 18-year-old male passenger. Mannice Mitchner, 18, of Roxbury, allegedly recorded the assault and then joined in, delivering a kick to the victim's head. "This was a frightening experience for this young man and for all the riders who witnessed it," Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden said. Mitchner was already facing charges in multiple jurisdictions when she was arrested.
Surveillance image of suspect in Orange Line mob attack
Suspect wanted in connection with the Orange Line mob attack. MBTA Transit Police
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3. A 61-year-old woman is pushed onto the tracks at North Station

On December 4, a 61-year-old woman was shoved from behind onto the Green Line tracks at North Station during active service. Police say the attacker was a homeless individual known to frequent the area. The woman plunged into the track pit as trains continued to move through the system.
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4. A 71-year-old is punched in the face and pepper-sprayed at Prudential

On February 17, a woman walked up to a 71-year-old man at Prudential station, punched him in the face, and then pepper-sprayed him. Broad daylight. Middle of one of Boston's busiest stations. Transit Police released three surveillance images. As of this writing, the suspect has not been identified.
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5. A rapist wanted for strangulation near South Station sparks citywide manhunt

Transit Police issued a citywide warrant for Jon Brent Dyer, wanted for rape and strangulation at Widett Circle — a stretch of MBTA-controlled land between I-93 and the train tracks leading to South Station — on September 26, 2025. The alert told riders not to approach him and to call 911 immediately if spotted. He was later arrested in Boston, but not before the warning sent a wave of unease across the entire transit system.
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6. A man sucker-punches a female MBTA employee in the face

On December 20, a man walked up to a female MBTA employee on the 600 block of Morton Street and punched her in the face with a closed fist — completely unprovoked. This came just days after the Back Bay teen attack, as the system reeled from back-to-back violent incidents.

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7. A passenger smashes a cop in the head at Andrew Station

Last August, officers responded to reports of a 34-year-old man harassing riders on the platform at Andrew Station. When an officer approached to de-escalate, the man launched into a profanity-laced tirade and connected a closed-fist punch squarely with the officer's head. Gasps rang out across the platform.
Scene at Andrew Station after assault on officer
Andrew Station, where a passenger punched a Transit Police officer in the head. MBTA Transit Police
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8. Halloween night at State Street: Group beats a rider without provocation

Just before 11 p.m. on Halloween night, a group of suspects physically assaulted a rider at State Street station without provocation. Transit Police released surveillance images of the attackers — but as of now, none have been identified.
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9. Red Line masturbator arrested after MDN reader tip — judge sets bail at $500

A man was caught committing a lewd act while staring at a woman on a Red Line train near Harvard Square in December. After Mass Daily News published the story, a reader tagged MDN on X with a tip pointing investigators toward the suspect. MDN flagged it directly to Transit Police detectives.
That same day, police arrested Robert Edward McCarty, 49 — a repeat Level 3 sex offender with a long history of similar crimes. A Cambridge judge set his bail at $500.
Surveillance image of Red Line suspect Robert Edward McCarty
Robert Edward McCarty, arrested after a Mass Daily News reader tip. MBTA Transit Police
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10. Armed felon pulls a loaded Beretta on a bus passenger

On February 23, a 26-year-old man with a prior conviction for illegal firearm possession pulled a loaded .40-caliber Beretta from his waistband and threatened a fellow passenger on an MBTA bus on Meriden Street. He'd already been convicted of illegal gun possession once before. That apparently did nothing.
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11. A bus driver gets spat on, cops get spat on, and then a felon with a loaded gun crashes the party

The MBTA at its most unhinged. Victor Jackson Jr., 38, allegedly spat on a bus driver on Cummins Highway in Mattapan, then bolted. When officers caught him, he spat on them too. While cops were wrestling Jackson into cuffs, Wilner Richie Jr., 36 — a convicted felon — slammed his car to a stop in the middle of the street and started screaming at officers. Police found a loaded illegal firearm in his vehicle.
Scene of Mattapan bus incident with spitting and armed felon
The Mattapan scene where two separate criminals collided in one chaotic incident. MBTA Transit Police
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12. A blind rider's service dog is grabbed and attacked on the Red Line

Late on December 23, a man on a Red Line train at Park Street zeroed in on a visually impaired rider, grabbing and tugging on his service dog's harness and trying to feed the animal. When the victim pulled his dog closer to protect it, the suspect threw an object at the blind man's face and disappeared into the system. Two days before Christmas.
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13. Suicidal woman jumps into the pit at Ruggles, sits on the third rail, then bites and kicks cops

On January 22, a woman jumped into the track pit at Ruggles Station and sat directly on the third rail — the electrified rail that powers the trains. All service was halted as officers rushed in. When they pulled her to safety, she allegedly turned violent — biting, spitting on, and kicking the officers trying to save her life.
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14. Woman pushes elderly rider off MBTA bus — walks away with no jail time

Luz Pineda was caught on video shoving an elderly woman so hard she tumbled off a Roxbury bus onto the pavement. The punishment? No jail. No conviction. She admitted to "sufficient facts" — a legal maneuver that lets her dodge a guilty plea and erase the case in two years if she behaves. Her sentence: three months of home confinement with a GPS bracelet, anger management classes, and a ban from the MBTA that nobody can enforce.
Luz Pineda caught on camera pushing elderly woman off MBTA bus
Luz Pineda, who pushed an elderly rider off an MBTA bus and received no jail time. MBTA Transit Police
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15. A near-miss in a crosswalk turned into a bloody assault inside Chinatown station

A driver nearly hit a pedestrian near Chinatown station on July 31. The pedestrian told him to "be careful." That didn't go over well. Instead of driving off, the man allegedly followed the victim into the station and beat him in broad daylight. Transit Police put out a call for help identifying the suspect.
Surveillance image of suspect wanted for assault at Chinatown station
Suspect wanted for a broad-daylight assault at Chinatown station. MBTA Transit Police
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The bottom line

Fifteen stories. Seven months. A loaded Beretta on a bus. A teenager kicked into a moving train. A sex offender back on the street for $500. A rapist wanted for strangulation near South Station. A grandmother shoved off a bus — and the attacker walked free. A blind man's service dog attacked two days before Christmas. A convicted felon spitting on cops while another felon with a loaded gun crashed the scene.
This isn't about Transit Police — they're the ones posting these incidents publicly, chasing suspects, and pulling loaded weapons off riders. This is about a system where the courts, the consequences, and the culture have all failed at once. Mayor Wu keeps calling Boston the "safest major city in America." Ride the Red Line at 11 p.m. and get back to us.

Have a tip? Email us at [email protected]

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