Two separate violent attacks at a busy Queens transit hub capped off a week of high-profile incidents in the transit system that left several riders beaten, bloodied, and at least one dead.
Police circulated images of a suspect who they believe beat a man in the head with a metal pipe multiples times after an argument around 1 a.m. Saturday at the Queensboro Plaza station. The man he attacked, 31 years old, was taken to the hospital with multiple head lacerations, according to the NYPD.
The pipe attack came less than 48 hours after a tourist from Brazil at the Queens Plaza station was slashed in the neck in what police have called an unprovoked attack. The 29-year-old victim had come to the city on vacation with his wife; they had only been here one day.
There were multiple violent incidents above and below ground last week that sparked concerns of subway safety, including the brutal beating of an MTA worker in Lower Manhattan.
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NBC New York obtained exclusive video of the Wall Street station attack, where the worker was punched, kicked and slammed into the side of a train car after trying to wake a sleeping man. Witnesses to the attack helped subdue the man and hold him down until police arrived.
Two days prior, a medical student and electric cellist was randomly attacked while performing at the Herald Square subway station. Police and video show a woman approach from behind and smack the musician in the back of his head with his metal water bottle.
All these incidents followed a startling fight between alleged teenage gang members that turned into a shootout in the Bronx that claimed the life of a 35-year-old man caught in the crossfire. The gunfire erupted during the evening commute, shutting down service on the line.
Two of three teen suspects are already in custody, but a third, just 15 years old, remains on the run from the NYPD.
The string of violent incidents across the system represent an uptick in subway crime. So far this year, NYPD data shows robberies and felony assaults are up, 5% and 10% respectively, compared to the same time last year.
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Police say each day there are upwards of 1,000 additional officers deployed through the transit system.
"The NYPD understands fully how safety and the perception of safety weighs heavily on our subway riders’ minds," a statement from the department said. "Arrests of criminal offenders are up, so too are summonses for violations that greatly impact a rider’s sense of comfort and safety, and let’s not forget enforcement against fare evaders."
The department says the "main driver" of that upstick is grand larcenies. Roughly half of all of this year's subway crimes are grand larcenies, according to police.
Commuters who spoke to News 4 in recent days say the attacks have been top of mind, and expressed unease about the "randomness" of some of the incidents. One person said they were significantly altering their commuting habits.
"I'm afraid of going out at night," Peter Hsing said at the Queens Plaza station. "I cancelled all of my appointments with my friends, I don't want to go out."
"There's a lot the government, the city can do to make us feel safer," he added.
Others, like Maveryck Harlem, said it's essential to stay alert on the train and be prepared for anything.
"Protect yourself as best as you can. Like, it's caused me to learn self-defense, because you never know," Harlem said. "You kind of just have to be vigilant."
