Police say they have arrested the 15-year-old responsible for Saturday afternoon's deadly stabbing of a teen on a Manhattan train platform.
The 14-year-old victim was found on the northbound 1 line platform at the 137 St-City College station in Hamilton Heights around 3 p.m. Police said he'd been stabbed in the stomach.
Investigators believe the stabbing followed a dispute that started on the street and continued down into the subway station.
The situation escalated when the older teen allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed the other boy, before fleeing from the station, police said. The 14-year-old did not survive his injuries and was pronounced dead at St. Luke's Hospital.
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Police identified the 14-year-old as Ethan Reyes, of Yonkers.
A straphanger described the moment he came face-to-face with the 14-year-old boy on the verge of death.
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"His lips were purple and his eyes were rolled back, and he was bleeding a lot of blood," the witness said, adding he saw a group of teen girls run out of the station. "They wanted to take his phone."
NYPD officials said security video reviewed from the train station had captured the movements of the teens. A description of the wanted boy was distributed and helped transit officers spot the 15-year-old within hours and bring him in, police said.
The unidentified 15-year-old has been arrested on weapon and murder charges, police said Sunday evening. No other suspects were outstanding.
Over in the Bronx, Mayor Eric Adams reinforced the need for the city to expand summer youth programs to keep teens engaged and off the streets.
"Hearing about the stabbing really highlights why we need the lights on in schools like this, we need to find out what happened, we’re going to find out the person responsible," Adams said Saturday afternoon.
The MTA called the death a “senseless and tragic incident” and said they are cooperating with the NYPD investigation.
"This station is our lifeblood, it's one of the busiest stations on the 1 line," Barry Weinberg, Chair of Manhattan Community Board 9, said.
