Police have arrested one of the suspects allegedly involved in the deadly stabbing of a 55-year-old man on an MTA bus in the Bronx, authorities said, the latest in a series of deadly attacks in the city's transit system.
The victim, identified as Lamont Barkley of Davidson Avenue, was on a BX19 at Gerard Avenue and East 149th Street around 8:30 p.m. Sunday when he got into a dispute with two other riders, a man and a woman, according to police. It wasn't clear what they fought about, but cops say the suspects set upon Barkley, stabbing him multiple times in the torso.
The father of three was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, while the woman and man who allegedly attacked him ran off before police got to the scene.
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Police said late Monday afternoon that the woman allegedly involved -- 42-year-old Ebony Jackson of the Bronx -- had been arrested on charges of murder and manslaughter in the case. It wasn't clear if they were still searching for the male suspect, nor was it immediately known if Jackson had an attorney who could comment on her behalf.
"One of the reasons we make these apprehensions and identifications so quickly is because that bus was equipped with video," said NYPD Chief of Department Kenneth Corey. "MTA got it to us which catches the entire encounter."
Jackson was said to be in custody at the hospital, but it was unclear why she was taken there.
Officers in the Bronx on Monday were posting flyers as they looked for the man who they said was the one who wielded the knife. Police told NBC New York that they know the suspect from another stabbing attack from Sept. 4, for which he was arrested but later released without bail.
"He stabbed someone in the abdomen. Here we are 30-plus days later, he stabs someone to death on a city bus," said Chief Corey.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
Sunday's deadly attack is just the latest in a series on city buses and subways, the third stabbing incident on transit in the last 10 days. Last week, three people were stabbed, one fatally, in separate subway attacks across New York City. That followed a deadly subway stabbing on an L train in Brooklyn the week before. A homeless man with a violent past was arrested in that case.
Asked Monday about transit safety, Gov. Kathy Hochul said she was evaluating whether additional resources might be necessary.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said his heart went out to the victim's family and that transit must be safe. MTA Chair Janno Lieber similarly emphasized that buses and subways must be seen as safe, as he attended the wake of one of the other victims of transit violence.
"This cannot go on because the subways and mass transit is what makes New York possible. If people don’t feel safe, they can’t go to school, they can’t go to work, they can’t live their lives," Lieber said. "Mass transit for New Yorkers is like air and water. We can’t spare it we need it to function. So it has to be safe."
