Police say the 17-year-old, along with a companion who has not yet been caught, boarded the empty train just after midnight last Thursday 12 September.

The pair somehow managed to turn on the engine and took the vehicle on a journey which ended abruptly when they crashed into another parked train.

The girl was identified from CCTV footage, which showed her in a bizarre all-pink get-up including a shower cap and hot pants, the New York Post reports.

She has charged with criminal mischief and reckless endangerment and police are still searching for her companion.