NEW YORK (PIX11) – Prank calls have plagued the subway’s Help Point system, according to an MTA inspector general report released Tuesday.
An audit found that many emergency calls went unanswered or experienced long delays because of "mischief calls." Over six months, half of the calls made to the Help Point intercom system were found to be pranks.
Almost 2,000 emergency calls went unanswered, the OIG’s audit found. Among the calls were riders trying to report injured passengers, people being threatened or harassed, or an unauthorized person on the tracks.
According to the MTA’s inspector general, part of the problem is that calls are answered in the order they are received, meaning emergency calls are not prioritized. Additionally, the system suffered from a technical glitch and staffing issues.
The audit found that the NYC Transit system was unaware of the issues because it did not analyze or review its performance statistics.
The inspector general has called for the MTA to develop a plan with the NYPD to deter prank calls and find ways of prioritizing emergency calls along with other recommendations.
Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found here.
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