People shoved in front of trains. Good Samaritans stabbed. Sucker punches to the head. A samurai Sword.
Random attacks -- and homicides -- in New York City's transit system have New Yorkers on edge in recent weeks, despite assurances from the mayor and governor that subways are safe.
More unprovoked attacks in the days since a new safety initiative rolled out only serve to reinforce concerns among many commuters -- and the latest ones underscore the point.
Cops added another random subway shove Thursday to the ongoing list. A straphanger had been standing on the northbound 6 train platform at the Lexington Avenue and East 77th Street station on Manhattan's Upper East Side around 8:40 p.m. Monday when another man pushed him onto the tracks for no apparent reason at all, they say.
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The shover ran off and good Samaritans helped the victim off the tracks and back to the platform. He had some bruises and scratches but refused medical attention at the scene. They're still looking for the suspect (below).
According to the NYPD, the 22-year-old woman was on a northbound 7 train platform at the 82nd Street-Jackson Heights station in Queens around 5:30 a.m. Sunday when a stranger punched her in the face and pushed her down a flight of stairs leading to the mezzanine area. She says she suffered bruising and swelling on her knee, shoulder, hand and spine -- and doctors at a hospital diagnosed her with a compression fracture to her back.
Nothing was stolen and no possible motive for the attack was shared. Cops released surveillance video of that suspect (above). Anyone with information on him is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
Also reported by the NYPD in the last 24 hours: An Oct. 13 unprovoked subway attack on an 18-year-old as he got off a northbound 6 train in the middle of the afternoon in the Bronx. That victim ended up punched in the back of the head. He refused medical attention at the scene.
That same day, about five hours in Brooklyn, cops say a 21-year-old subway rider on an L train was punched multiple times in the head and body after a stranger approached him and started arguing, cops say. The attacker ran off when the train pulled into the Jefferson Street station and the victim went to a hospital for swelling and bruising to his face.
Police released a surveillance image of that suspect (below).
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The latest attacks come after Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled a new plan to curb subway violence -- targeted or otherwise -- in a bid to assuage public concerns as the struggling MTA looks to continue its slow-churning pandemic rebound.
Over the weekend, the Democrats said they planned to greenlight more than a thousand overtime shifts every day designed specifically to increase the number of uniformed officers on patrol on platforms and trains. Funding for additional 1,200 shifts would account for 10,000 more patrol hours each day. Their weekend announcement also called for two new in-patient psychiatric facilities to aid people experiencing serious mental health issues.
Hochul said part of the plan includes MTA police focusing resources on stations linked to the four major commuter rail hubs -- Penn Station, Grand Central, Atlantic Terminal, and Jamaica Station -- a move, in turn, that allows NYPD officers to increase coverage across the system. Subway riders this week may also have noticed announcements at certain stations reminding them that police are available in the area if they need to report a crime or concern.
"Cops, Cameras, Care," as Hochul called the series of initiatives, includes expanded mental health training previously given to New York State Police and first responders in crisis intervention. The state training will now be provided to police and other city first responders specifically involved in the transport of people needing psychiatric evaluation.
The electeds acknowledged the perception of violence plaguing public transit. City leaders say there has been a drop in crime, but the nine homicides within the MTA this year have created a boiling over of frustration they said must be addressed head-on.
"We must address both the perception and reality of safety, and the expanded partnership we are announcing today with Governor Hochul will do just that, while building off the successes of our Subway Safety Plan. The bottom line is that riders will see more officers in the system, and so will those thinking of breaking the law," Adams said.
Sending scores of additional officers into the transit system is a method already in the mayor's toolkit. His subway safety plan announced earlier in the year deployed additional cops after the start of his administration.
Adams said 40% of transit murders were committed by people with severe mental health problems. So the next step is addressing mental health. The state has promised 50 new inpatient beds — under a new plan to essentially — have people committed. Meanwhile, a new NYPD analysis shows a spike in felony arrests among mentally ill people.
