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A 10-year-old riding the Long Island Railroad all by himself Christmas Day met up with a concerned conductor and, eventually, a policeman.

The kid happened to be Izzy Skenazy, whose mother enjoys writing newspaper columns (and even books) about how her son rides trains by himself.

You’ll recall that his mother, Lenore Skenazy, wrote a column last year in the NY Sun wondering what age a child should be allowed to ride a subway by him or herself.

Skenazy then sent her son on a ride from Penn Station to Bayside to visit a friend, a trip he’s apparently made a dozen times. A conductor got upset and took the kid off the train, summoning the cops.

She writes:

The conductor and his superior got off at Izzy’s stop and then, as the train just sat there (I’m sure no one was a rush to get to their families on Christmas day), they awaited the police. I got a call from the friend’s dad who was waiting to take Izzy home. “We cannot leave the station,” he said.

“Why not?”

“The police have to decide what to do next.”

A few minutes later a policeman got on the phone and asked what had happened. I explained that my son often takes this train and that, in fact, the first time he did, we had asked at the railroad information booth, “What age is a child allowed to ride alone?”

There’s no specific age, the agent replied. But personally, she thought 10 sounded good, if there was someone waiting at the other end.

The police officer listened and agreed this sounded reasonable. He said as much to the conductor and the boss and they got back on the train. My son was free to go. The policeman wished me, “Merry Christmas.”

Little-known MTA policy (little-known at least to LIRR station agents) states that a solo rider should be at least 8.

So…is Lenore Skenazy a bad mother for sending her son on the train by herself–or simply for naming her son “Izzy”?