Career criminal known as ‘menace to the subways’ with more than 50 priors busted in new NYC transit theft: cops
A career criminal slammed by police as “a menace to the subways” was arrested this week for robbing a Bronx straphanger – and was caught red-handed wearing a shirt bearing the carefree message, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” police said.
Reynaldo Quinones, 32, who has 54 prior arrests – 22 of which have come since January of 2023 – was nabbed by plainclothes cops after slashing a 42-year-old man’s jacket pocket and grabbing his phone and wallet on a southbound No. 4 train early Thursday.
Quinones was cuffed at the Woodlawn Avenue station – and while searching him, cops found both stolen items as well as a knife, the NYPD said late Thursday.
Quinones – who was arrested just five days earlier on two counts of burglary – was slapped with a grand larceny charge, police said.
His extensive arrest history – and his ironic choice of clothing – caught the eye of NYPD Chief of Transit Michael Kemper.
“‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy,’ says the shirt a thief was wearing when he was caught red-handed this morning. And why would he worry?!,” Kemper posted on X, detailing Quinones’ rap sheet.
“But there he was, preying on yet another subway rider this morning in the Bronx — and caught by plainclothes Transit cops with knife in hand just seconds after cutting a victim’s pants and stealing his wallet,” the transit chief wrote.
“Some in the criminal justice system may see this repeat felon as ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ – but not to us in the NYPD,” he said.
“This man is a menace to the subways and a threat to society, and your cops are going to confront his criminal acts head on, no matter how many times we have to keep arresting him on behalf of law-abiding New Yorkers, or that is until there is accountability and consequences by the rest of the criminal justice system.”
“New Yorkers deserve nothing less.”
Also this year, Quinones was busted on Jan. 10 and 18 for criminal possession of a controlled substance, according to police.
He was released without bail in connection to both arrests, online records show.
Quinones was previously arrested for grand larceny on Dec. 3 and 29, 2023, cops said.
“In the last two months he’s got three grand larceny felonies — all in transit — one of them at the same station,” Kemper told The Post in an exclusive interview.
“That underscores there’s no accountability and without consequences there’s no deterrence to some people.”
Quinones has multiple previous raps for petit larceny – with six such charges filed against him last June 23 alone, according to police.
He was also charged with petit larceny on August 31 and Jan. 28, 2023, police said.
“So we’re arresting him [and] he’s out,” the transit chief added.
“This guy is the poster child for negative perception and fear in the subway system. And if anyone is asking what your cops are doing, well, we’ve arrested this guy 55 times.”
“The question should be: why are we arresting him 55 times — where is the accountability?”
Thursday’s arrest did land Quinones in lock-up – with records showing that he was ordered held on $5,001 bail or $15,001 bond during his arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court, ahead of his next court date set for Tuesday.
Kemper said he hopes Quinones stays behind bars, noting that he thinks the NYPD is doing its job and the rest of the system needs to catch up.
“We are the best police department in the world, and as good as we are, do you think this is all he’s done?” the police official said.
“So now that we got him, [there] needs to be accountability and consequences.”
“These are felonies we are talking about: a guy with a sharp cutting instrument, cutting people’s clothes,” Kemper said.
“He’s likely to get violent.”
