New York

Smashed Bottle Leaves Broken Glass in Bus Driver's Eye, Subway Conductor Punched In Separate Incidents in Harlem

What to Know

  • A bus driver got glass in his eye after a bottle was thrown at him, and a subway conductor was punched in the face in separate incidents
  • A suspect in Harlem threw a glass bottle at a moving M5 bus as it passed in front of him, shattering the driver's window and spraying glass
  • At the 125 Street station, an A train conductor was pulling out of the station when a male punched him in the face

A bus driver was left with in glass in his eye after a bottle was thrown at him, and a subway conductor was punched in the face in separate incidents against MTA workers in Harlem, the transit agency said.

Surveillance video, obtained exclusively by NBC New York, shows a car pull up to the intersection of West 136th Street and Broadway on the west side around 2:30 p.m. Friday. The driver of the vehicle is seen parking the car along the island separating the roadway, then waiting for the bus to approach.

That’s when the suspect, who police believe to be a 30-year-old man, throws a glass bottle at the moving M5 bus as it passes in front of him, according to the NYPD. The driver’s side window of the bus shattered, leaving the driver blinded with glass exploding in his face. Broken glass was left scattered all around the driver’s seat after the incident.

There were multiple passengers on board the bus at the time of the attack, including another off-duty bus operator who was also injured. The driver was being treated at the hospital for his injuries, with bits of glass stuck in his eye.

The suspect who threw the bottle took off driving north on Broadway. Police believe the car carrying the suspect to be a black Ford with New Jersey license plates.

The other incident occurred about two hours earlier at the 125th Street stop on the A line. As the northbound train was pulling out of the station, a male punched the conductor in the face. The victim was taken from inside the cab to a hospital for treatment, and the suspect ran from the station.

The MTA issued a statement regarding both of the attacks on their employees, calling them “reprehensible.” The Transit Workers Union said the violent incidents were “disgusting and those responsible need to be caught and prosecuted. We want to see them in handcuffs.”

Police are searching for suspects in both attacks, motives for which were not immediately clear.

Anyone with information regarding either incident is asked to contact police.

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