NYC tourist jumps the subway gate after her card fails. 2 hours later, NYPD allegedly threatens to arrest her: ‘Who would steal three dollars’
The city had its own way of saying hello
Getting through a New York City subway turnstile should not require a tutorial. But for two tourists only hours into their trip, one failed payment allegedly turned an ordinary ride into an encounter with police.
Maggie Goodeill (@maggiegoodeill) claims she and her husband had already paid their subway fare when a quick trip back to their hotel left them unable to get through the gate again. They tried to pay, looked for help, and eventually made the decision New York really does not want commuters making: they jumped the turnstile.
In a TikTok recounting the encounter, Goodeill said she and her husband, Ian, had traveled from Washington state and were only about two hours into their New York City trip. Their first attempt at exploring Manhattan had barely begun before Goodeill found herself struggling over a subway gate and looking up to see NYPD officers waiting.
Then the officers came over
Goodeill recalled that the confusion began shortly after they arrived. The couple took New Jersey Transit to Penn Station with two large suitcases and were still figuring out the subway gates. Ian tapped his card but pushed his luggage through first, leaving himself unable to follow through the same gate.
After reaching their hotel and taking a nap, the couple headed back out around noon with plans to visit Canal Street. Both paid and entered the subway, but Goodeill quickly realized her phone battery was dead. Since their hotel was directly above the station, they went back upstairs for a portable charger.
When they returned, however, Goodeill claims their payment would not go through. They tried repeatedly and received an “unable to process payment” message. She also looked toward the booth for assistance but allegedly found nobody there.
So they jumped. New York has already taken increasingly aggressive steps to stop riders from getting around subway fare gates, but Goodeill insisted avoiding the roughly $3 fare was never their intention.
Ian made it over first, while Goodeill struggled behind him as her husband tried to help her across. Around the same time, someone reportedly opened an emergency exit, triggering an alarm. Then Goodeill looked up and saw two NYPD officers.
One allegedly told the couple, “We have you on video” jumping the gate. Ian explained that they had paid minutes earlier, returned briefly to their hotel, and then unsuccessfully tried to pay again.
One officer reportedly asked, “Are you guys tourists?” Goodeill answered, “Obviously,” prompting him to respond, “Obviously what?”
“I mean, obviously, like, who would steal three dollars subway? Like, we tried to pay. We’re not trying to, like, steal from your city.” Goodeill recalled telling the officer.
The confrontation nevertheless left Goodeill feeling as though an arrest could be coming. She recalled the officers standing close enough that she felt they might soon be “in handcuffs” and headed to jail.
Ian then pulled up his Apple Pay history, which Goodeill claims showed that he had paid for the subway only about three minutes earlier. After seeing the transaction, the officers reportedly stepped away and warned them not to jump the gate again.
No arrest followed, but it made for an intimidating introduction to the city. An uncomfortable moment on the New York City subway can become memorable quickly, especially when a trip has barely begun.
Viewers found some humor in the couple’s welcome to New York. “Aww man welcome to NEW YORK,” one person commented. Another admitted, “I would have felt like I needed to go home after that… lol.” For Goodeill and her husband, a roughly $3 subway fare ended up bringing considerably more stress than either tourist expected.
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