The dreadlocked joyrider who allegedly took a Queens MTA practice on a one-stop spin final week is an 18-year-old repeat transit offender who racked up a dozen arrests this yr – most of them on the rails, police mentioned.
Justine Randall-Pizarro allegedly commandeered the locked N practice simply after 4 a.m. June 17 on the Broadway station in Astoria earlier than driving it to the thirty sixth Avenue cease, police mentioned.
Pizarro – together with her hair styled in reddish-orange dreads, carrying a black hat and black Crocs – entered the practice parked within the station’s lay-up monitor via the conductor’s cab earlier than the illicit jaunt, in line with prosecutors and regulation enforcement sources.
Investigators imagine Pizarro – who fled the scene after the pre-dawn stunt – used a key to get the practice operating, the sources mentioned.
When detectives questioned Pizarro after her Tuesday arrest, she admitted to hijacking the practice whereas videochatting with a pal and mentioned she had the keys to entry it, in line with prosecutors.
“I imply, I’m close to Astoria. Wager,” she informed an investigator, in line with a criticism filed in Queens Felony Courtroom. “I went to Broadway, and behold – there was a lay-up practice there. Nonetheless on FaceTime with my homeboy, so I drove it whereas I used to be on FaceTime with him.”
“And, I don’t know, we was simply playing around, turning up on FaceTime like whereas I used to be driving it,” the teenager mischief-maker continued. “And I simply drove it to thirty sixth Avenue, obtained off.”
“I imply I don’t do the stealing myself, the folks steal the keys for me,” she defined. “Normally – and I assume they steal them for themselves. However normally, yeah, they do steal them from employees.”
NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny mentioned that Pizarro had been arrested 12 occasions in 2025 – most “associated to transit incidents, whether or not it’s housebreaking, reckless endangerment, practice browsing or larceny from transit property.”
“This individual is principally a transit recidivist who retains breaking into trains,” the chief added. “When she breaks into them, she strikes them, she steals objects – practice keys, issues of that nature.”
Again on June 23 within the Bronx, Pizarro allegedly entered a feminine conductor’s cabin when a No. 5 practice was stopped on the final station, Gun Hill Highway, and allegedly stole her private bag, prosecutors mentioned.
Prosecutors had requested that Pizarro be held on $20,000 bail or $60,000 bond, however a decide launched her on her personal recognizance.
On June 1, she allegedly obtained behind the controls of one other practice and took it for an early-morning spin at Van Siclen Avenue in Brooklyn, prosecutors mentioned.
Prosecutors requested for $25,000 money bail or $50,000 bond, however Decide Masatera Marubashi lower her unfastened on supervision.
And on Might 26 on board an R practice at 86th Road and 4th Avenue in Bay Ridge, Pizarro allegedly unleashed pepper spray in an MTA employee’s face, in line with the prison criticism.
The DA’s workplace requested for her to be held on $20,000 money or $40,000 bond, however she was additionally granted supervised launch in that case.
In Sundown Park, Brooklyn on April 21, she allegedly stole a backpack holding a number of objects together with MTA keys, an MTA radio and an MTA flashlight from the operator’s cabin of an R practice at 59th Road and 4th Avenue.
On Might 15, she allegedly stole a backpack holding keys and an MTA escape masks from a motorman’s cabin inside a D practice at 86th Road and Bay Parkway, prosecutors mentioned.
Each instances should not eligible for bail by state regulation, the Brooklyn DA’s Workplace mentioned.
Within the April case, prosecutors requested for supervised launch, however Decide Philip Tisne launched her on her personal recognizance.
Within the second case, prosecutors have been capable of ask for bail due to her earlier open case – in order that they requested $2,000 money or $4,000 bond.
However Decide Jevet Johnson granted Pizarro supervised launch.
All 4 of the Brooklyn instances will probably be consolidated into one going ahead, a DA’s workplace spokeswoman mentioned.
