Officials announced that a former Long Island Railroad signalman was busted on Thursday for lying about inspecting tracks and electrical connections at the 2019 derailment site on a visit to Memorial Day Weekend.
Stuart Conklin, 63, of Ronkonkoma, claimed federal forms that he walked on the tracks at the two-train crash site and tested the electrical connection – but video evidence revealed otherwise, as the Post reported in 2019.
The derailment on Saturday morning destroyed the Memorial Day weekend train service in Suffolk County. No one was injured, but the incident caused extensive damage to the tracks.
“It was an irresponsible betrayal for all Signal Inspectors for all New Yorkers to claim a significant piece of Long Island railroad infrastructure was safe,” MTA Inspector General Pokorn said in a release Thursday.
Konklin will appear in Brooklyn federal court later on Thursday. If convicted, he is behind bars for two years.
A railway passenger said that the former signalman, who made $ 153,769 in 2018, tendered his resignation on May 31, 2019.
“He basically makes his own hours,” according to a rail source, who said Conklin’s approach was an open secret among his colleagues.
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