The train was parked just south of the 86th St. station in Fort Hamilton Monday afternoon when a transit worker noticed the lead car was missing the so-called "master controller," sources told the Daily News. A master controller - which on an R160 subway car, like those on an R train, consists of a T-shaped handle on the train operator's right-hand side - controls a subway's acceleration and braking.
Police from the 108th Precinct in Long Island City and Transit District 20 are looking for a suspect who allegedly stole a wallet from an R train rider in Woodside late last month. The incident occurred on the afternoon of Wednesday, July 30, inside the Broadway/Northern Boulevard subway station just before 3 p.m., when the 22-year-old victim dropped his wallet while passing through the turnstiles. A much older stranger stooped down, grabbed the wallet and fled on foot in an unknown direction, police said.