Man stabbed on subway platform at Union Square station
A man was stabbed on the Union Square subway platform on Wednesday morning.
It all started following an argument on a northbound L train at around 10 a.m. Police said the two people involved had an altercation that turned physical and spilled onto the platform.
The victim, 45, was stabbed in the back repeatedly, police said. Police said the victim was alert and conscious and was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive, adding his coat may have prevented serious injury.
The latest on the search for the suspect
Police recovered a knife at the scene, but have not yet found the suspect.
It's not clear if the victim and attacker knew each other, but police said the suspect who fled is described as a male wearing a black jacket, white pants, and white sneakers, with a black Nike swoosh.
"Ideally there are cameras here and that they will find him, but it's horrifying and very scary," West Village resident Sue Zen said.
"Something like that, it's rare that it's on the L train," added Bill McHugh of Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Following attack, straphangers discuss subway safety
The stabbing happened as the NYPD recently touted a drop in overall subway crime last month. Police said statistics show a nearly 25% drop in transit crime in November, "making it the safest November in recorded history," outside of the pandemic.
However, that didn't ease the nerves of many straphangers.
"People are getting threatened. People are threatening people. And, unfortunately, it's just not a series of events that should occur with regularity," one man said. "It's definitely an issue and it continues to be something you, as an individual, have to be vigilant about."
"Sometimes I will get on the train and then, if I don't feel safe, I will get off at the next stop and then wait," said Heather Falconer of Williamsburg.
"I'm very concerned about my safety on the subway. I try not to sleep. although [it is] very tempting on the trains," a Bronx resident said.
"Ignore the situation. Don't bother. If he come with his nonsense, [you] don't have to pay him no mind," said Neslie Benhamin of Canarsie, Brooklyn.
"I'm a native New Yorker and I've never felt safe because there are a lot of strange characters you just don't want to engage with and I think we need more police on the subways," Zen added.