Two white goats spent the morning trotting along the N train line in Brooklyn, munching grass. Officials aren't sure where they came from. Goats are not allowed as pets in New York City.
NEW YORK — The call from the train operator came in just before 11 a.m. Monday to the New York City subway’s command center, an alert unusual even for a system accustomed to morning commutes with delays: There was a breaking situation unfolding on the tracks.
Two goats were on the lam.
Two white goats with brown heads spent the morning trotting along the N train line in Brooklyn, making their way from the Fort Hamilton Parkway stop toward the 8th Avenue stop, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the subways.
“We’re told they were munching grass,” said Jon Weinstein, a spokesman for the MTA. They were tranquilized and captured just before 1 p.m., according to the MTA.
Fortunately, the portion of the Sea Beach line the pair chose for their ramble has been closed to train traffic for station rehabilitation. They did, however, graze close to an electrified third rail. By 11:30 a.m., subway crews joined by police had corralled them onto one of the closed tracks, according to the MTA.
Riders experienced temporary service changes to the southbound N train. Around noon Monday, police boarded an empty N train, which ferried officers down the track to retrieve the wayward herbivores.
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Where the goats came from is unclear, though there are a number of slaughterhouses in the area where they were found. Other animals, like cows, have absconded from area slaughterhouses in the past.
“They do not have names as far as we know,” Weinstein said. Goats are illegal as pets in New York City.
Last summer, a kitten wandering on the tracks shut down the C line during rush hour for about 30 minutes. And of course, rats abound.