In the latest assault at a Big Apple subway station, a straphanger was hit in the back of the head with a metal object on Tuesday, and another passenger was hit with an umbrella.
In the first attack, a 34-year-old man was attacked in an unprovoked attack and hit in the head with an unknown metal object at the Grand Avenue Newtown Station in Queens around 12:50 p.m., police said. It is said that
Police said he was on the stairs leaving the station when a man approached him from behind and began the attack.
The victim was taken to Queen’s Hospital Center with non-life-threatening injuries. No arrests have been made.
Hours later, a 61-year-old man was assaulted and left covered in blood at the 86th Street Station on the Upper East Side.
The victim, David Beaglehole, said he was walking out of the station around 4:30 p.m. after the two men exchanged words, the male suspect stabbed him in the left hand with an umbrella.
The suspect said that when he exited the ticket gate, he “bumped into” the suspect multiple times with the umbrella he was using as a cane.
“And I turned around and said, ‘Please don’t do that,'” Beaglehole said. “And I kept walking towards the turnstiles, and this guy was being aggressive again, so I took out my phone. He said, ‘Put it down,’ and this long umbrella. He swung it around and hit my thumb.”
Mr Beaglehole said he then followed the suspect and tried to take a picture of him with his cell phone before he tried to push him off the escalator.
The suspect was still unknown Tuesday night.
“I think he obviously has anger and aggression issues, and I don’t want to run into someone like that when I come home from work,” Beaglehole said.
“Hopefully it is an isolated incident,” he added.
But subway crime has jumped nearly 20% since the same time last year, with no signs of slowing down, according to NYPD data.
One Queens train passenger told the Post hours after the first attack that the spike in subway violence was undeniable.
“It’s always been bad, but it’s definitely worse,” said a woman who asked to remain anonymous. She said: “I’m considering working from home for the first time in my life, just to avoid traveling on the subway.”
Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference Tuesday that the city is exploring “new standards for subway patrols,” including increased police presence and increased bag checks.
Gov. Cathy Hochul is expected to announce new legislation Wednesday that would tighten security on subways.
On Sunday, a 64-year-old male rider was kicked by an unknown man on the roadbed inside Penn Station, and a 19-year-old woman was hit in the face with a sock during an argument with another woman.
Last week, a train conductor was severely slashed on the neck in an unprovoked attack.
Even in 2024, multiple fatal accidents have occurred on subways.
Additional reporting by Nolan Hicks
