A man was brutally stabbed during a brawl on a Manhattan subway in the early hours of Sunday morning, leaving pools of blood in the E-train carriage. The 34-year-old victim was traveling southbound when he was viciously attacked in the back by an assailant he knew. The attacker fled the scene with two friends as the train stopped at 53rd and Lexington.
The victim was rushed to the hospital and is currently in stable condition. Just hours later, another man was stabbed and punched in Brooklyn, with his condition unknown. These incidents have raised concerns about subway safety in New York City, prompting Mayor Eric Adams to introduce new technology to scan passengers for firearms in subway stations.
The introduction of scanners comes in response to a surge in underground violence, with felony assaults in the transit system increasing by 53% last year. Despite the rise in assaults, overall crime in the transit system dropped by 23.5% in March, attributed to the presence of additional uniformed cops patrolling the network daily.
Mayor Adams emphasized the importance of maintaining law and order in the subway system, stating, “There cannot be a sense of lawlessness in the subway system, and it begins at the turnstiles.” The NYPD has also deployed additional officers to enforce fare evasion as part of efforts to enhance safety in the city’s public transportation system.