Skip to main content
Loading weather...

Vandal destroys Boylston fare gate — MBTA Transit Police's 'recognize her?' plea goes viral

Thursday, April 23, 2026•
3 min read
MDN Staff
•
Vandal destroys Boylston fare gate — MBTA Transit Police's 'recognize her?' plea goes viral

The MBTA Transit Police plea for help identifying a Boylston fare-gate vandal has drawn more than 67,000 views and 87 replies in its first 48 hours — with commuters directing most of their frustration at prosecutors, not the suspect.

Listen to Article

0:001:52
Speed:
BOSTON — MBTA Transit Police posted a surveillance clip Tuesday morning of a woman allegedly damaging a fare gate at Boylston Station. Two days later, it has more than 67,000 views, 321 likes, and 87 replies — and it is still climbing.
The footage, captured Sunday, April 19 at 7 p.m., shows a woman in dark clothing at the wide accessible gate at the end of Boylston's turnstile row. Transit Police classify what follows as "Malicious Destruction," and say the gate will require a "costly repair."
The replies tell the story better than the video does.
That was the most-liked reply. Not anger at the police for asking — anger on their behalf. The theme across dozens of comments: the cops do the work, the courts don't back them up.

MASSDAILYNEWS

STAY UPDATED

Get Mass Daily News delivered to your inbox

The second most-liked reply said the same thing with a sharper edge.
Some took aim at the mayor's office.

It's worked before

This isn't the first time putting a face on X led to an arrest — and Mass Daily News has been part of it.
In December, Transit Police posted a photo of a man accused of performing a lewd act on a Red Line train near Harvard Square. After MDN published the case, a reader spotted the suspect and tagged MDN directly in the replies. MDN passed the tip to Transit Police detectives. Robert Edward McCarty, 49, of Cambridge — a Level 3 sex offender with prior convictions for the same offense — was arrested the same day.
That's the model. Police release the tape, the public pays attention, and someone recognizes the face. It doesn't always work. But 67,000 pairs of eyes on a surveillance clip is a lot better than zero.
Anyone with information on the Boylston Station suspect is asked to contact the MBTA Transit Police Criminal Investigations Unit at 617-222-1050. Tipsters can remain anonymous.

Have a tip? Email us at [email protected]

Loading Comments