[TET1968]

An N.Y. idiot transfers a dyed liquid into a Polar Springs bottle and takes it on board a subway.

I give up.

[NonValueAdded]

Not as sinister ... don't you see those Kool Aid "SUS" commercials and the Crystal Light things? Bottled Water is so popular that those companies package single serving "add ins" to give it the flavor and sweetness Americans crave.

A person holding a bottle in a location where bottles are prohibited is one thing (Vermont dingbat) but individuals with a bottle where it is allowed is hardly suspicious.

[GovernmentShrinker]

I frequently use empty water bottles to carry juice, iced tea, etc., and fairly often have such a bottle in my briefcase on the 6 train. I don't take it out and drink it on the brief subway ride), but I very often do on inter-city commuter trains which I do a round trip on once a week. There's nothing the least bit odd about this, and for people who travel longer distances on the subways, and in some cases have spent the day at manual labor in sweltering heat, it would be perfectly normal to drink on the subway from a bottle you refilled with a colored beverage.

[Toby06]

There are little packets of dehydrated crap people pour into water bottles all the time. No reason for someone to freak out.

[sasha123]

Crystal Lite has individual packages for transferring into bottled water, it's probably what it was.