New York MTA workers had secret 'man cave' under subway tracks

Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Investigators with New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority said a group of employees were found to have maintained an illegal "man cave" in a storage room beneath the subway tracks.

The Office of the MTA Inspector General said investigators acting on an anonymous tip discovered a storage room at Grand Central Terminal contained a "man cave" outfitted with a futon, a TV with a streaming device, a refrigerator, a microwave, exercise equipment, air conditioning and more.

"Many a New Yorker has fantasized about kicking back with a cold beer in a prime piece of Manhattan real estate -- especially one this close to good transportation," MTA Inspector General Carolyn Pokorny said in a statement. "But few would have the chutzpah to commandeer a secret room beneath Grand Central Terminal and make it their very own man-cave, sustained with MTA resources, and maintained at our riders' expense."

The "man cave," located behind a locked door in a locksmith shop storage room below Track 114 at Grand Central Terminal, was not known to station management, investigators said.

Three MTA employees -- a wireman, a carpenter and an electrician -- have been suspended without pay in connection with the investigation, officials said.

MTA officials said a project is now underway to map off the rooms at Grand Central to ensure they are all being used for proper purposes.