Writer for The Bear says he was detained by MTA police after seat dispute on Metro-North train
Alex O’Keefe, a 31-year-old screenwriter, says an elderly passenger prompted police action over how he was sitting on a Grand Central-bound train; the MTA says he occupied two seats and refused to exit when told.
A writer for the FX series The Bear says he was detained by Metro-North Police after a passenger complained about how he was sitting on a Grand Central Terminal–bound train. Alex O’Keefe, 31, alleges the incident occurred Thursday at the Fordham station in the Bronx while the train was en route to New Haven.
An MTA spokesperson said conductors reported a passenger occupying two seats and refusing to remove his feet from one seat. The spokesperson added that bodycam and on-board footage show O’Keefe with both legs stretched across an adjacent seat. O’Keefe posted a clip on Instagram showing him being approached by MTA Police and escorted off the train in handcuffs. The incident escalated after officers arrived and he reportedly refused to exit the train.
In the video, an unidentified woman wearing a blue face mask and yellow-tinted glasses is seen watching as officers place O’Keefe under custody. O’Keefe is heard saying, “I haven’t done anything illegal,” as a responding officer tells him he is being detained for disorderly conduct. He later claimed in a caption that the woman who reported him was an “elderly white” passenger and that she had sparked the police response by complaining about his seating.
The MTA said the writer refused police direction to exit the train, and that he was issued a summons for disorderly conduct, a violation. In the clip, an officer tells him he is being detained for being disorderly, to which O’Keefe responds that he was simply sitting on the train. He also said that, prior to police arrival, a bystander described by him as the woman’s friend allegedly told him, “You’re not the minority anymore.”
Reaction to the video circulated on social media, with some users defending O’Keefe and others criticizing the actions of both the rider and the authorities. The Daily Mail, which carried the initial report, noted that the incident involved the MTA and Metro-North Police and included O’Keefe’s statements and footage from the scene.
O’Keefe is a member of the Writers Guild of America and has worked as a writer for The Bear and as a speechwriter for Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey. He has described his work habits in interviews, including writing from a Brooklyn apartment when opportunities to be in writers’ rooms were limited. The incident comes amid broader conversations about how transit authorities handle conflicts on crowded trains and concerns about racial bias and policing on public transportation.
Authorities have not indicated any further charges beyond the disorderly conduct summons. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment.
World news observers will likely monitor subsequent statements from the MTA and responses from O’Keefe and his representatives as the incident feeds into ongoing discussions about rider conduct, public safety, and the role of police on mass transit systems.