A Rider Off the Rails (NYT)

whose ax is gored

The Long Island Rail Road’s etiquette bully has walked — again. John Clifford, notorious for loudly and aggressively harassing fellow riders to make them behave better, was acquitted on Tuesday of assault, disorderly conduct and other charges stemming from an ugly encounter on the Long Beach line last year. Judge Larry Stephen of Manhattan Criminal Court said most of the witnesses had “an ax to grind,” and threw the case out.