‘The Bear’ Writer Says ‘Old White Lady’ Got Him Kicked Off NYC Train

A Black screenwriter is attributing his ejection from a train to an “old white lady” whose complaint he claims stemmed from racial profiling. However, authorities in New York assert that the incident arose because he refused to remove his feet from a seat.

Alex O’Keefe, a writer for the acclaimed FX series “The Bear,” shared footage showing himself confronted by MTA police while traveling from New York City to Connecticut. He alleges a “Karen” scolded him, demanding he “correct how I was sitting.”

In the video, officers can be seen placing O’Keefe in handcuffs and escorting him off the train. The writer questions whether he’s being arrested while filming the incident, which also captures an elderly woman in a mask whom he claims identified him upon arrival.

While O’Keefe asserts he was arrested, the MTA Police Department clarifies that he was not formally charged. Instead, he was merely handcuffed, removed from the train, and given a summons for disorderly conduct.

The MTA Police Department details that officers were summoned last Thursday morning due to a report of a disruptive passenger on the train traveling from Grand Central Terminal to Connecticut. According to police, a conductor noted that the passenger was taking up two seats and failed to remove his feet from one of them.

Authorities assert that surveillance footage reveals a man with legs stretched across the adjacent seat. When approached by officers, he reportedly refused their request to disembark, consequently delaying the train for six minutes. He was eventually handcuffed and removed but permitted to board the next train.

O’Keefe insists that the elderly woman complained directly to the conductor, which prompted the police involvement and the train’s stoppage. He recounts a friend’s remark, telling him, “You’re not the minority anymore,” as they awaited police intervention.

Furthermore, O’Keefe argues that the police officers did not consult “the Karen” who signaled for his removal. Notably, this detail is absent from the police’s public statement regarding the incident.

To sum up his perspective, O’Keefe comments, “This country is growing more psycho by the day.”