NYC Mayor Adams tells Guardian Angels to stay in line as group resumes subway patrols

Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News on Dec 31, 2024

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NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams warned Curtis Sliwa and the Guardian Angels to stay in their lane as the volunteer public safety group said they would resume subway patrols in the wake of a woman who was killed after being set on fire on a Brooklyn F train.

“If Curtis wants to be back down in the subway system, if he sees something, he should say something and he should do something,” Adams said Tuesday. “Don’t overstep your boundaries, like they did a few months ago when they arrested an innocent person. Let the police do their job.”

In February, the group came under fire after members tackled a man in Times Square who they falsely accused of being a shoplifting “migrant.” The bizarre incident was aired live as Fox News’ Sean Hannity was interviewing Sliwa, who directed a live camera to pan to the scuffle.

The new patrols will consist of conducting wellness checks on people who appear to be homeless, handing out water and reporting issues to the NYPD. The Guardian Angels have at various points announced their return to patrolling the subways and streets, especially following high-profile violent incidents.

Teams of three will walk the trains as they move through the system, the group has said.

“I find it perplexing that Eric Adams would want to discourage volunteers providing help to the unprecedented amount of homeless suffering in our subways every single day,” Sliwa said in response to Adams’ remarks, adding that the Guardian Angels don’t make arrests.

The Angels are looking to expand its membership, putting up flyers in train cars urging straphangers to join.

Sliwa ran for mayor in 2021 on the Republican ticket and is expected to do the same in the upcoming election.

The mayor, speaking at his weekly press briefing, touted the city’s dropping crime statistics, saying that despite a few disturbing incidents New York is still safe overall.

“Crime is not surging in the subway system,” Adams said. “You know, we have some high-profile incidents and we’re really disturbed about it. But overall, crime is lowest.”

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