3-year-old boy skips out on mom, takes long ride on No. 7 train

[Forest Glen]

A turnstile-jumping tot, who can't even speak yet, gave his mom an 11-minute scare Tuesday when he slipped out of a Queens restaurant and jumped on a No. train.

 

Christian Marquez, 3, rode the subway for seven stops in Queens before a good Samaritan spotted him alone and ended his subterranean adventure.

 

The rambunctious rail rider was not harmed and was quickly reunited with his mom, who said his vanishing act "was like a dream that I could not wake up from."

 

"I was still panicking until I had him in my arms," Marlena Torres, 40, said of her little boy. "Thank God. I'm happy that I have him back with me."

 

The ordeal began at 1:59 p.m. in a Flushing McDonald's, where Torres had taken Christian for lunch for the first time.

 

The boy's Happy Meal ended unhappily for his mom: Torres said she was throwing away a juice container when Christian suddenly disappeared.

 

"He let go of my hand. Then when I looked over, the baby was gone," Torres said. "At first I thought he was hiding, but he wasn't there."

 

Torres began screaming in Spanish, fearful her son had been kidnapped. The terrified mother caught the attention of Lt. Michael Costello and Detective Adam Frasse, who were at the counter ordering lunch.

 

"We could see there was a baby carriage with no baby," said Costello, commanding officer of the NYPD vice major case team.

 

A Spanish-speaking customer interpreted for cops, getting Torres to show them a photo of Christian on her cell phone.

 

The cops radioed in a description of the toddler, and dispatchers sent out an all points bulletin. Within minutes, the detective got a call back that Christian had made it to the all the way to the 74th St.-Broadway Station on the No. line.

 

"Our day stopped until that kid was found," Costello said.

 

Police drove the mother to the subway stop, where she was reunited with her boy.

 

"He came running and hugged me. He was crying," Torres said.

 

Costello said he reviewed surveillance video at the McDonald's that showed Christian walking out the door on his own.

 

Police believe the boy wandered down Roosevelt Ave. to the Main St. subway entrance. He apparently went down the escalator, scooted under the turnstile and boarded a westbound local No. .

 

A construction worker saw the boy on the train was without adult supervision and took care of him until they reached the 74th St.-Broadway Station, where he took the child to the token booth.

 

"He wasn't really upset," token booth clerk Goutom Saha, 40, said of Christian. "Maybe a little scared, but not crying."

 

Christian's father, Jose Lina Marquez, 40, described his boy as "very active" and that he likes trains.

 

"This has been terrifying," the father said. "It left a huge impression."

 

BY Erica Pearson, Jonathan Lemire and Bill Hutchinson

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

February 17th 2009

[Harry]

You know the same thing happened about 15 years ago or so on the line when a kid wandered onto a Manhattan bound train at Fort Hamilton Station and ended up at what was then called Pacific Street station before he was noticed by transit workers. I was on that train.

[KeystoneRegional]

Please, watch the Nazi Banksters Crimes Ripple Effect at http://jforjustice.co.uk/banksters

[metsfan]

You know the same thing happened about 15 years ago or so on the ( line when a kid wandered onto a Manhattan bound train at Fort Hamilton Station and ended up at what was then called Pacific Street station before he was noticed by transit workers. I was on that train.

 

Was it you? :cool:

 

- A

[MTR Admiralty]

A rather audacious young fellow.

[duelingdragons]

Sounds like we have a really young railfanner.

We should make him an account, lol =)

[Urbanfortitude]

Actually i had my first joyride on the (the first NYC subway train i ever been on) when my mom left me on the train...I was 6 at the time and all I did was go to Broad Channel and back. My grandmother chewed her out big time.

[KeystoneRegional]

Please, watch the Nazi Banksters Crimes Ripple Effect at http://jforjustice.co.uk/banksters

[LTA1992]

My father told me how he and my mom were at the tunstile and i went under and ran straight towards the edge. Luckily, my father caught me. He said i was 1 when that happened.

[MTR Admiralty]

Sounds like we have a really young railfanner.

We should make him an account, lol =)

 

What's the kid's name?

[N-Trizzy2609]

I remember the first time my parents let me ride the subway by myself to school. It was a rather long ride too. from E. 150th to B'Way Jct, and to Ralph. I was only 8. It was rather funny and I ALWAYS made it to school on time.

[553 Bridgeton]

Wirelessly posted (TELECA-/2.0 (BREW 3.1.5; U; EN-US; SAMSUNG; SPH-M800; Teleca/Q05A/INT) MMP/2.0 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1)

 

Railfanner in the making.

[WestSideJeff]

You know it. Give him 10 years, and he'll be here posting railfan shots and riding the Nostalgia Train with the rest of us, God willing. Hopefully with his mother's permission this time.