What to Know
- A sexual assault and subsequent threats on a B train took place as it approached the Museum of Natural History subway station leaving passengers on edge and police to tell the public to be on the lookout for the suspect.
- Police say a man is wanted for grabbing a woman and saying he could “touch anyone he wants” and that he would “stab people in the eyes.”
- According to the NYPD, August's crime stats were released on Thursday, show transit crime is up 20% year-to-year, but down during summer months from May through the beginning of September.
Police are looking for a man they say threatened subway riders as their train approached the Museum of Natural History station in Manhattan and kept riding, leaving passengers on edge and cops warning people to look out for him.
He also allegedly sexually attacked a woman on the B train, grabbing her and saying he could “touch anyone he wants” while also threatening to "stab people in the eyes," according to police.
“It’s horrible. It’s disgusting. I don’t feel like they’ve made a difference. And the crime rate, I’m always on guard. Especially being a woman. Sometimes I get in a car and I’m the only person there and I’m a little worried," Evelyn Hasty, from the Upper West Side, said.
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Hasty wasn’t on that train but she rides the rails often and says safety is always on her mind.
“When I’m going somewhere I always have to defend myself at all times," Hasty told News 4. "I also always make sure there are people around and I’m always hyper-aware.”
According to the NYPD, August's crime stats were released on Thursday, show transit crime is up 20% year-to-year, but down during summer months from May through the beginning of September.
News
"We all know how critical the transit system is," NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said. " A consequence of increased, concentrated deployment in our subway stations and on our trains -- as ridership increases, we expect to see these declines to continue."
The NYPD is also touting a reduction in murders and shootings with gun arrests up.
Police say the Bronx has seen a significant drop in crime.
“I think I just generally feel a sense of normalcy returning," Zach Zaromatidis, an Upper West Side resident, said. "As far as the safety of it goes I still don’t like to ride the train late at night.”
