Alex O'Keefe, a former writer for the FX series 'The Bear', was arrested on a Metro-North train in New York City after a dispute over his seating position. The incident, which O'Keefe recorded and shared on social media, has sparked debate about racial profiling and policing on public transport.
According to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), O'Keefe was sitting with both legs stretched across an adjacent seat, violating rail line rules. A conductor called police after O'Keefe refused to move his legs. Police held the train at a Bronx station around 10:30 a.m. and handcuffed O'Keefe after he refused to exit.
In the video, O'Keefe, who is Black, can be heard saying, 'You’re going to arrest the one Black dude on the train, because this white woman said she didn’t like the way I was sitting on the train.' He repeatedly states he did nothing illegal. Officers issued him a summons for disorderly conduct and allowed him to continue his journey.
MTA Chairman Janno Lieber defended the police response, saying, 'The police have to get involved because somebody won’t take his feet off the seat? Just take your feet off the seat. It’s that simple.' He added that the MTA would review the video.
O'Keefe, 31, won a Writers Guild Award in 2023 as part of the team behind 'The Bear', which was named best comedy series. In an email, he expressed wariness of becoming 'the center of a culture war in this political climate' and said he needed to consult his legal team before commenting further.
