A subway buff with a criminal track record as long as the Broadway line was busted today- his 24th transit-related arrest.
Darius McCollum, 43, was dressed as a transit worker when cops derailed his attempt to enter a restricted area in the Columbus Circle train station, police said.
McCollum – who has taken subway cars, railroad trains and buses on joyrides – just shook his head and said, “Oh, no,” as police led him out of Transit District 1 today.
Due to his reputation, cops recognized him immediately as he was walking in the Times Square station. Officers tailed him as he boarded a northbound No. 1 train and continued following him when he got off at Columbus Circle.
When at 2:15 a.m. he moved a barricade and tried to enter a section of the platform closed to the public, he got arrested for trespassing, criminal impersonation and possession of burglar tools.
McCollum was sent to prison in 2005 after he was caught trying to steal a Long Island Rail Road train and was paroled after a little more than a year.