A man sleeping on the subway was sprayed in the face with an irritant and robbed of his cellphone in the Bronx early Sunday morning, and police say the robber has targeted at least one other sleeping subway rider recently.
The 22-year-old victim fell asleep on the northbound 4 train when another man approached him at about 5 a.m. while the train was near Bedford Park Boulevard station, police said.
The suspect sprayed the sleeping man in the face with an irritant and took his LG cellphone, then ran away, police said.
The victim was taken to Montefiore Hospital, where he was treated and released.
The suspect, 47-year-old Angel Garcia, was arrested Jan. 10 in a similar case, police said. He targeted a sleeping 37-year-old man on the 4 train and took his cellphone.
Amid a spate of high-profile subway crimes, NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton recently warned straphangers that "subways are not for sleeping," and said officers on subway patrols will wake snoozing riders.
He said he realizes people are tired when they get off work, but sleeping on the subway puts them at a higher risk of sexual assault and pickpocketing.
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Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS.
