The Great A Train Robbery

How a 16-year-old stole a train -- and the hearts of New Yorkers

When the story broke, it seemed to be yet another horrific New York City fable: delinquent teen commandeers an eight-car subway train, taking 2,000 passengers on a three-hour joyride on the A line, the longest in the system. But as it turned out, the tale of Keron ("Keno") Thomas, 16, was not of the Honey-let's-call-that-broker-in- Westchester-this-city-really-is-going-to-hell variety. It was that other type of urban story, the kind that continues to propel big-city dwellers forward each day, a tale of hard work and self- starting (albeit misguided) initiative, of taking matters into one's own hands to make dreams come true.

Keno loved...

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