A few years later, in May of 1965, the NY Times reported that a penguin was spotted riding "a BMT subway train of the West End line," and was taken into custody after biting a Transit Authority detective on the thumb. This story began with a bunch of no-good teenagers, naturally. The book When Did the Statue of Liberty Turn Green? & 101 Other Questions About New York City revisited the caper, writing:
"On May 9th, 1965, a Transit Authority detective watched a group of teenagers board a subway car at Stillwell Avenue in Coney Island. They got off the train at Bay Parkway, leaving behind a cardboard box. When the detective saw the box move, he hit it with his nightstick—and out popped a beak. Thinking that the teens had captured a seagull, the officer, box in hand, switched trains, planning to release the bird at Stillwell Avenue's open-air station. Upon arrival, the detective opened the box and was promptly bitten on the thumb. Angry, he kicked the box, which tipped over, freeing his attacker. An onlooker identified the bird as a penguin."The penguin was captured again, and the Coney Island Aquarium was contacted. They discovered they were indeed missing a penguin, and the the little guy was returned.
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