Last week a Gothamist reader named Ryan Quinn sent in a tip that he had spotted a used condom ostensibly filled with male bodily fluids jauntily tied into a knot on a pole of New York City’s F Train during his morning commute. Quinn apparently even came dangerously close to grabbing onto it before spotting it hanging there. As the day progressed following, additional witnesses came forward to say that they, too, had seen the offending condom — one even claiming to have spotted it as far back as September 24th.
According to another tipster yesterday morning, the offending condom was still hanging in the same spot, as determined by juxtaposition of the advertisement behind it. Either way: Nope, never taking the subway again. I think I’d rather come face to face with a ziplock bag full of ebola.
How long the used condom has been festooned there is anyone’s guess. And, to be sure, it is possible this is a different prophylactic… though we find that unlikely, as all the photos we’ve received feature the same advertisement in the background and show the rubber tied in the exact same way. But sure, maybe this is all just a viral marketing stunt for ASA College?
Gothamist reached out to New York’s MTA, which issued the following statement:
This has been brought to the highest levels of the subway system, and our cleaning crews will be on the lookout for it whenever they clean cars at the end of the line. They will also note the car number, and then will try to determine when it was last brought in for a more thorough cleaning.
Subway cars usually get a basic cleaning when they reach the end of the line – sweep up the litter, mop the floor. And while a condition like this should have been caught and remedied, I can understand why cleaners who are focused on the seats and floors would not necessarily have looked up at every grab bar on a 10-car train. Trains go in for a more thorough cleaning at various intervals, but without knowing the car number, we can’t go back and determine its maintenance history.
I don’t want to question the integrity of MTA sanitation workers, but if it were me I would unquestionably 100% look the other way, because nobody gets paid enough to remove jizz-filled f*cking condoms from subway poles.
@Gothamist Alternate shot of the #semen #filled #condom #blessed pic.twitter.com/PUouHcmdhZ
— RyRy (@meandtherhythm) October 10, 2014
Oh, and good news, since the story went viral it’s now inspiring copycat pranksters who are filling condoms full of dish soap, because everything is terrible.
https://youtu.be/kH8uD3ihCuw