Man with machete steals teen's sneakers in the subway, police say

A man with a machete stole a teenager's sneakers on the subway Sunday night, police said. 

It happened on a northbound 2 train near Westchester and Intervale avenues at 11:18 p.m. 

Police said the suspect approached a 15-year-old on the train. The suspect, who was wearing a backpack, opened it and "displayed a machete," police said. He then removed the teen's sneakers. 

A 25-year-old good Samaritan on the train intervened, but the man with the machete punched him in the face and ran off, police said. 

The teen was not physically hurt. The 25-year-old who was punched refused medical attention at the scene. 

Police say the suspect is about 17-20 years old, has a light complexion, has a heavy build, black braided hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a black jacket, gray sweatpants, and carried a black backpack. 

The NYPD says crime in the transit system has ticked up slightly so far this year - crime statistics reflect a 1.7% increase year to date - but overall, 2026 has been the second safest year in the transit system in the past 15 years, excluding the pandemic. 

Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via the Crime Stoppers website or via DM on X, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.