An MTA worker with 31 years on the job was caught stealing $11,000 in brass subway parts, which he resold for scrap, officials said today.
Keith Barton, 62, was charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. He faces up to seven years in jail if convicted.
A supervisor who worked with him at the Coney Island rail yard noticed that several brass axel rings — which connect the axel to the wheels on subways — were missing.
That supervisor alerted the MTA, who launched an investigation.
Barton was caught loading the rings into his car on Saturday at 4:30 am.
He’d come in to steal the rings even though he wasn’t working, said MTA Inspector General Barry Kluger.
“The supervisor deserves the credit for catching him,” said Kluger.
Brass sells for about $4 or $5 a pound.
It’s unclear how much Barton made reselling the rings, which weigh 18 pounds each.
Barton declined comment.
Fifteen Long Island Rail Road employees were arrested last month for stealing copper wire from the MTA and reselling it for scrap.
The men stole more than $250,000 worth of copper, according to authorities.
jennifer.fermino@nypost.com
MTA veteran in $11K brass heist
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MTA veteran in $11K brass heist
