Straphanger is stabbed to death by a stranger in subway car at Penn Station in second slashing in 24 hours as violent crime surges in New York City
- Police are searching for a man who stabbed another passenger to death on the No. 2 subway train early Sunday morning
- The suspect stabbed the 32-year-old victim in the neck - unprovoked - as the train entered Manhattan's Penn Station
- He was caught on surveillance camera fleeing the scene
- Paramedics took the victim to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead
- Sunday's attack follows a skyrocketing trend of transit crimes, echoing the overall increase in violent crimes across New York City
New York City police are searching for a man who fatally stabbed another passenger in the neck while riding the subway early Sunday.
The suspect, who was captured on surveillance footage covered in the victim's blood, stabbed the 32-year-old straphanger in the neck on the No. 2 train before fleeing the scene.
The fatal incident comes as New York City experiences a surge in crime, specifically in the subway system.
From the week of November 8 to November 14, transit crimes skyrocketed by 140 percent from the same week in 2020. In the last 28 days, transit crime went up 45 percent from the same period last year, with 186 crimes reported.
According to the NYPD's latest monthly numbers, overall crime was up 11.2 percent last month compared with October 2020. Robbery was up by 15.8 percent and felony assault rose by 13.8 percent.
New York City police are searching for a man (pictured) who fatally stabbed another passenger in the neck while riding the subway early Sunday
The suspect, who was captured on surveillance footage covered in the victim's blood, stabbed the 32-year-old straphanger in the neck on the No. 2 train before fleeing the scene
According to police, Sunday's subway stabbing happened around 12.17am as the No. 2 train pulled entered Manhattan's Penn Station at East 34th Street.
The victim, a 32-year-old man, was riding the train when he was attacked.
Paramedics transported him to Bellevue Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. His identity is being withheld pending family notification.
Preliminary investigation revealed the victim did not know or provoke the suspect.
New York City Police Department released photos of the now-wanted man. He was last seen fleeing the station in a white baseball hat, black face mask, gray jacket, white shirt with an orange and black checkered hood, black pants and black shoes.
Police describe the man as being approximately 5'9" tall, weighing 185 pounds and having a medium build.
Anyone with information regarding his identity or whereabouts is asked to call NYPD at 800-577-TIPS.
Sunday's subway stabbing happened around 12.17am as the No. 2 train pulled entered Manhattan's Penn Station at East 34th Street.
Preliminary investigation revealed the victim did not know or provoke the suspect
The attack comes after a man was hospitalized Saturday after being slashed across his face in a subway station.
The victim was headed southbound on the A train in Greenwich Village.
The train was stopped at the West 4th Street - Washington Square Station in Manhattan.
It's unclear what led to the incident but the man was slashed across the face. A suspect has not yet been identified.
There was no word on the man's condition as police hunt for the attacker.
The spike in overall lawlessness comes as the city grapples with an increase in visible, violent crime, including horrific subway and street attacks that have left New Yorkers terrified.
A man was hospitalized after being slashed across the face in Greenwich Village Saturday
The stabbing occurred inside the West 4th Street - Washington Square Station in Manhattan
Earlier in November, a man wearing a grinning mask inspired by the film The Purge attacked a stranger on the street with an ax. The 51-year-old victim was taken to a nearby hospital with a deep cut in his arm.
Days later, a man threw a Molotov cocktail into a Brooklyn bodega after an argument with employees. The workers escaped as the arsonist was about to throw a second one, but he was stopped by a witness.
An Asian woman was waiting for a subway in Times Square last week when police say a homeless man snatched her purse and shoved her onto the tracks.
The violent attack took place just before 1:45pm on the uptown R subway platform.
Witnesses immediately jumped into action and detained the suspect until police arrived to arrest him.
That came just a few days after a New York City subway rider waiting for a train Monday was shoved onto the tracks in the latest unprovoked attack on a straphanger as crime on the public transit system continues to soar.
The latest New York City crime statistics shows overall crime is up year-over-year
According to the NYPD's latest monthly numbers, overall crime was up 11.2 percent last month compared with October 2020
The harrowing incident took place in Lower Manhattan about 5:30 am inside the Chambers Street station, where a 45-year-old man was pushed off the No. 1 train platform and onto the subway tracks by a deranged stranger.
The stunned victim was able to pull himself back up onto the subway platform before any trains approached.
Authorities said he was treated at the scene for minor injuries, including a small cut.
Meanwhile, gun violence in the borough has significantly increased, with 28 percent more shootings reported this year as compared to last, according to police data.
Lame-duck Mayor de Blasio this month blamed the courts for New York City's skyrocketing crime numbers as he touted a small decrease in the murder rate while ignoring an 11 percent jump in overall crime over October 2020.
