Whilst severe crime on SEPTA continues to plummet to historic lows, a particular prosecutor appointed by the state Lawyer Normal has began prosecuting incidents dedicated on the transit system in Philadelphia.
Regardless of criticism from some native elected officers and a lawsuit looking for to cease his work, prosecutor Michael Untermeyer has began taking management of circumstances that ordinarily would have been dealt with by town’s District Lawyer Larry Krasner.
Legal professionals within the workplace of the Particular Prosecutor for Mass Transit have filed 12 circumstances to date and are engaged on a further 28, Lawyer Normal Dave Sunday mentioned Monday.
It’s apparently the primary set of circumstances prosecuted by the brand new workplace, which was created final yr beneath laws signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro. Krasner sued to dam the transfer, arguing that the regulation unconstitutionally infringes on residents’ proper to elect their chief prosecutor. A courtroom dominated towards him and the matter is now earlier than the state Supreme Courtroom.
Untermeyer, a former assistant DA who ran for District Lawyer in 2017 and Sheriff in 2023, was appointed to the particular prosecutor place final June.
“The state legislature handed and the Governor signed Act 40 into regulation as a method to supply additional protections for commuters who use mass transit in Philadelphia and SEPTA workers. I absolutely intend to make use of this software to work in direction of a safer Pennsylvania,” Sunday mentioned.
Krasner declined to remark Monday.
The AG’s workplace highlighted one of many circumstances being prosecuted, a stabbing on July 4 on the Berks El station in Kensington.
Surveillance video exhibits the defendant, 35-year-old Daniel Williams of Brookhaven, on the prepare platform with a knife in his hand, the Lawyer Normal mentioned in an announcement. Williams is allegedly seen approaching a 66-year-old man from behind, stabbing him, and throwing away the knife as he flees.
Bystanders pointed responding law enforcement officials to Williams’ location and he was taken into custody, the assertion mentioned. He’s charged with tried homicide, aggravated assault, and different counts, in accordance with courtroom data. As of Monday, the sufferer was nonetheless in important situation.
Extra sources, or an influence seize?
Act 40 was sponsored by Sen. Wayne Langerholc, a Republican from Cambria County in west-central Pa., who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee.
The committee members toured SEPTA in 2021, and Langerholc later mentioned regulation enforcement officers instructed him Krasner’s workplace was not following by means of on arrests made on the system. These arrests are typically made by SEPTA’s personal police drive.
When the Senate authorised the invoice in Might 2023, Langerholc mentioned the particular prosecutor “would handle the sweeping inaction of the present Philadelphia District Lawyer and guarantee scofflaws will reply for his or her crimes, because the present DA has a systemic file of failing to prosecute assaults on victims.”
The laws expires on the finish of 2026. At that time the particular prosecutor’s workplace will lose its authority, except the legislature and the governor comply with renew the regulation.
In January 2024 Krasner sued to dam the regulation, arguing it infringes on voters’ rights and disparately impacts non-white residents of Philadelphia, the state’s solely majority-minority county. Critics additionally argued that its reference to crimes “inside SEPTA” is simply too obscure and might be construed as protecting a big portion of town.
Langerhold responded that the regulation doesn’t considerably cut back the DA’s authority, saying it “provides a further layer of security analogous to a particular activity drive on crime.” Shapiro additionally disagreed with Krasner’s objections, saying it was good to convey extra regulation enforcement sources to Philadelphia, and SEPTA defended the regulation.
A divided Commonwealth Courtroom dominated 4-3 towards Krasner, saying the measure was not unconstitutional. The DA appealed to the Supreme Courtroom, which heard arguments in Might however has not but issued a ruling.
Crime falls by one-third, and extra
The Lawyer Normal’s workplace has repeatedly declined requests by Billy Penn to interview Untermeyer. In one of many few media interviews he’s given, final December, he mentioned he hadn’t but prosecuted anybody, and he initially deliberate to give attention to assaults and thefts, no more severe crimes like homicides.
The revelation that the particular prosecutor has now taken on a number of circumstances, together with at the very least one tried homicide, comes as SEPTA experiences continued steep declines in severe crime because it peaked through the pandemic.
In 2024, Half 1 crimes like robberies, assault and homicides fell 34% from the earlier yr, right down to 227 incidents systemwide, in accordance with SEPTA. There have been 4 homicides, in comparison with six in 2023, and 15 taking pictures incidents, down from 20 the earlier yr. Property crimes additionally fell by a 3rd.
General severe crimes dropped from 1,236 in 2020 to 1,064 in 2023 and 711 in 2024.
SEPTA reported final week that the majority varieties of severe crimes continued to fall within the first half of 2025. There was a surge in robberies early within the yr, and one murder has been reported to date.
On the identical time, SEPTA’s police drive has grown to almost 200 officers and has elevated its give attention to fare evasion — a serious problem for the cash-strapped transit authority — and nuisance offenses.
They’ve to date issued 4,366 citations for fare evasion this yr, a 74% enhance over the primary six months of 2024, SEPTA mentioned. Tickets for smoking are up 6% to 1,189, and up 19% for marijuana use, to 253.
Phrase of the brand new prosecutions additionally comes as riders wait to listen to whether or not SEPTA will undergo with deliberate deep cuts in service and main fare hikes because of a $213 million annual deficit. Legislators and Shapiro are within the midst of state finances discussions that can decide whether or not the state will enhance its subsidy for the transit company and stop the cuts.