The slice found its way into the grip of an ambitious rat that dragged it down the stairs of the First Avenue L station in Manhattan early Monday. A video of the spectacle spread quickly online, amassing more than two million views on YouTube, and a star was born: Pizza Rat.
Master Splinter, is that you? #PizzaRat carries slice down subway stairs in NYC https://t.co/UM6zefot2A https://t.co/0jbaoXkWTH
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) September 21, 2015
Thomas P DiNapoli, the state comptroller, said the authority has removed trash cans from 39 subway stations in recent years to encourage riders to take garbage with them instead of dropping it in overflowing trash cans and leaving scraps for rats to feast on. On Tuesday, the authority defended the program, saying it had reduced the number of trash bags collected at those stations.