CT Railroad Supervisor Used Work Truck For 100s Of Personal Trips: MTA

BRIDGEPORT, CT — A Metro-North Railroad supervisor has been suspended after being accused of
"shamelessly" tampering with the GPS device in his work truck to use it for shopping trips and other personal errands, officials said Monday.

The supervisor, a structures supervisor based out of the MTA yard at Bridgeport, disabled the GPS on the vehicle more than 100 times in an 8-month period, according to the Office of the MTA Inspector General.

He used the truck to run personal errands — including taking trips to a shopping mall and a Bass Pro Shops while on duty — and to visit a co-worker's home, officials said.

After an investigation concluded and he admitted to the misconduct, the employee resigned in lieu of termination.

"This supervisor shamelessly disconnected his work truck’s GPS device so that he could drive around and run errands undetected, sometimes while on the clock," Inspector General Daniel Cort said. "He set a terrible example for the 30 employees he supervised, and his resignation is a just outcome. I commend MNR for bringing this matter to our attention and taking the results of our investigation seriously."

The Office of the MTA Inspector General's investigation began in July 2023 after Metro-North's Security Department said they noticed frequent GPS device disconnections and inspected the employee's vehicle, according to officials.

Among the at least 111 instances of GPS disconnection between July 15, 2023 to March 18 are 6o overnight disconnections and 31 instances when the device was disconnected for consecutive days, including over the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s holiday weekends, officials said.

Investigators said they installed a second, hidden GPS device in the supervisor's truck and found that he used the vehicle for personal business while off duty on 40 of 57 days reviewed.

The Office of the MTA Inspector General recommended that Metro-North Railroad "take whatever action it deemed appropriate," after which the railroad suspended the supervisor without pay and served him with disciplinary charges, according to officials.

He resigned on Aug. 12. after being employed by the company for 12 years.

Metro-North Railroad said it would seek to recoup compensation paid to the supervisor for the hours that he did not work.