The incident happened in the Jamaica section of Queens at the Jamaica-179th Street Station around 3:50 a.m. Wednesday.
The 54-year-old worker was cleaning a stationary southbound F train when he got into a fight with the shirtless suspect.
Police say the suspect spit on the subway car floor as the worker cleaned, which sparked the dispute. The suspect then pulled out a knife.
The worker raised his hands to protect his face, and he was slashed on both hands. He also suffered slash wounds to his chest.
He was taken to Queens Hospital Center and is expected to recover.
The man responsible for injuring the MTA worker ran away.
MTA officials said more cleaners have been hired since the pandemic, and keeping the subways clean is a priority. Removing homeless people from subway trains at end of line stations has also been a focus for the agency.
The slashing comes just days after another violent attack at a different Queens station. In that incident, a woman was stabbed multiple times by an alleged panhandler at the Jamaica -Van Wyck train station when she refused to give him money. That man was arrested.
Police have not yet released a description of the suspect.
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