“It’s an obsession that has dominated his life. But instead of becoming a transit worker, he’s become a transit impostor. Twenty-nine times, beginning when he was a teenager, he’s been arrested for crimes that include piloting a subway train, stealing a bus and donning uniforms to pose as a conductor and even track worker.”
“Attorney Sally Butler says McCollum’s actions are the result of uncontrolled impulses, a byproduct of what was until recently called Asperger’s syndrome but is now considered an autism spectrum disorder.”
Professionally speaking, though his presentation is highly unusual, even for someone in the autism spectrum, it is not inconsistent with several features of the disorder.
So, did he ever try to get hired? I know they wouldn’t touch him with a ten-foot pole now, with that criminal record and a clear demonstration of not knowing right from wrong.
I was one of the lucky ones, I guess…had the sense to not do those things on my own, so had the help of interested workers in learning things. I hired out with a clean record, and wasn’t diagnosed with Asperger’s until soon before retiring.
I understand that the correlation between Asperger’s and trains is fairly strong, though I will leave it to professionals in the mental health field (which I am not) to better describe that association.
Yes, he’s taken the Civil Servants exam multiple times and has failed each time. The exam is the first step towards applying for a job with the MTA (and most other public service jobs including the police and fire departments).
Maybe his talents could be better served at trolley/transit museum where he could operate and maintain the equipment.
And after all that they still let him write the exam? That’s funny. A guy I went to school with stole a Greyhound bus when he was 14. He drove it for over 60 miles before the police finally shot out his tires and brought his joy ride to a stop. He got into a lot of trouble over that. You know what he does for a living? He’s a bus driver (“been doing it since I was 14” he says with a wink). So maybe there’s hope yet for this chap…
One more thing - just to be clear: I object to the use of the adjective “unhealthy” in the title of this thread. I haven’t seen any evidence that in people with Asperger’s, the interest in trains always goes to that extreme.
Paul, I would go one step further and object to the title in that it implies that any interest in trains is unhealthy. (not that I represent that remark[;)])
An interest in anything (other than harming others, animals, the environment, or an interest in criminal activities) is a good thing and very healthy. You can also use your interest to repel others when the situation warrants. Sometimes when guests and family members outlast their welcome I start going on and on about the really cool N&W boxcar I saw… pretty soon they’ve got their shoes on and are out the door. Wife tells me I drove them off… yup…that was the whole idea.
I agree with MerrilyWeRollAlong he should be encouraged to do volunteer work for a nonprofit rail or transit organization under supervision. This is a case that has to be handled differently. Thx IGN
We in New York have know of this guy for years, and his mug shot has been in every crew room on the system (or so I am told). Jail, he has been there many times, makes no impression on him. If the prison had wheels on it, he would make off with that too. A nice rest home (why did they close all of the state hospitals) with a train track in the yard (they all had train tracks since they were heated by coal, and in those days that was the only way people could get out there to visit) would suit him just fine.
ROAR
[DISCLAIMER]
Politics aside, one party thought the sate hospitals were inhumane, and the other party thought that they were too expensive. This does not lead to the conclusion that they should all have been closed, but they never figured out that part of the equation.