NYC Transit officials vowed a swift crackdown on illegal master subway keys that let fare-beaters ride the rails free, says a New York Daily News report.

 

The keys are supposed to go only to police, firefighters and authorized MTA workers to let them enter the subway through emergency gates - but illegal copies have been circulating among fare-beaters. A News reporter was able to enter stations around the city with a key from a man who said he paid $27 for it, says the report.

 

"This is a serious security breach," said Councilman Peter Vallone (D-Queens), who heads the Council's Public Safety Committee. "We know terrorists are planning to attack our subways, and the MTA and NYPD better find these magical morons quickly, and then make them disappear for a year in jail."

 

NYC Transit said it would conduct an "immediate audit" of the keys to measure the depth of the problem. The agency is "extremely concerned," the report says.