NYC subway crime surge: Anti-gay attack, retired officer slashed
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Subway crime continues to surge in New York City, even as Mayor Eric Adams rolls out his crime prevention plan.
The MTA insists progress is being made, but those reassurances may not be enough to make passengers feel safe.
The latest statistics show subway crime up 75% from this time last year, with the latest attacks including an anti-gay attack and the slashing of a retired police officer.
The alleged hate crime happened on the A train near 190th Street in Washington Heights on Saturday, leaving the 22-year-old victim in the hospital after being brutally beaten.
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Police say the man seated across from the victim began making threatening remarks and said, "I wish I had my pepper spray" before spitting at him.
The suspect repeated, "I have to start carrying my pepper spray" and spat at the victim again, police said, and the victim stood up.
That's when the man charged him and is seen on video grabbing the victim by his hair and punching him repeatedly in the face.
The suspect then rips the victim's hair out of his head while using an anti-gay slur, "I'm sick of all you (expletive)."
The victim was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and suffered lacerations to his head.
The NYPD also released video of the suspect who slashed a retired police officer on a subway train in Lower Manhattan Wednesday afternoon.
The 47-year-old victim was sitting with his wife on an uptown 2 train when the suspect began arguing with him.
The victim got off the train at the Wall Street station, but the suspect followed him, pulled a knife, and slashed him in the right arm.
The retired officer ran up to the subway station mezzanine for help, once again followed by the suspect. But when the suspect saw the victim going to the transit booth for help, he turned around and ran away.
The retired officer got several stiches to his arm at New York-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital and was released to go home to Centereach in Suffolk County.
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Despite these latest incidents, the head of the MTA says that with more cops underground, the crime situation is starting to improve.
"While we are by no means out of the woods, and there is a lot of progress that needs to be made with subway safety, I just want to acknowledge the work has begun," MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said. "Serious effort is underway."
Lieber shared how a recent change requiring police to add underground patrols to their assignments is making a difference. In the past month, 312 homeless people have been relocated out of the system.
There have been 1,200 summonses issued for smoking, 700 for drinking and 500 for obstructing seats.
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