A Writer for ‘The Bear’ Was Detained by Police After an ‘Old White Woman’ Complained About How He Was Sitting on a Train

Former award-winning writer for The Bear, Alex O’Keefe, was handcuffed and detained after an incident on New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) train from the city to Connecticut. O’Keefe is accusing one of the passengers of racial profiling after she complained about how O’Keefe, who is African American, was sitting on the train.

The incident occurred last week when O’Keefe was riding a train from the city to Connecticut. O’Keefe claims that an “old white woman” got on the train and told him to “correct the way he was sitting.” After he refused, she called the conductor, who alerted the MTA police.

While they were waiting for the police, one of the woman’s friends allegedly told O’Keefe that he “wasn’t the minority anymore.” The MTA Police told O’Keefe to exit the train, and when he refused, he was handcuffed and forcibly removed. He captured the entire incident on video and released it on social media.

O’Keefe said that the MTA Police detained and questioned him on the platform while the train was leaving and heading to Connecticut. He asked for a lawyer and told the police that they had not even questioned the woman who complained. After that, they released him without charges.

The MTA Police issued a statement to USA Today confirming they responded to a complaint of an “unruly passenger,” but denied that they arrested him. The MTA also claimed that O’Keefe was occupying two seats and was removed from the train to keep it from delaying the hundreds of passengers on board.

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I hope he sues the p@nts off all of them!!

Award-winning screenwriter Alex O'Keefe was detained by police after a white woman complained to a train conductor about his seating posture. O'Keefe was on an MTA train traveling to Connecticut when the incident… pic.twitter.com/B3cSlxlqYx

— Gekco (@0xgekc0) September 21, 2025

O’Keefe claimed he received a letter from the MTA expressing their “regret” over the incident. “This country is growing more psycho by the day. What will you do about it?” O’Keefe said.

O’Keefe is a writer and political activist who wrote for the Emmy Award-winning first season of the FX hit, The Bear. He has also worked with Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey of Massachusetts and helped craft the legislation known as the “Green New Deal.”

What do you think of an African American being taken off a train after a white passenger complained? Let us know in the comments.