Presumed NYC Homeless Man Allegedly Stabs Breakdancer Multiple Times on Subway

An unknown suspect stabbed a 22-year-old man who was breakdancing on a New York City subway multiple times on Thursday, police say.

The suspect, a presumed homeless man in his 40s, allegedly stabbed the 22-year-old twice in the leg and once in the arm just after 2:00 p.m. at the 14th Street and 3rd Avenue station in Manhattan, according to WABC.

The suspect fled the train at the 1st Avenue station while the victim remained aboard until the train reached the Bedford Station in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood.

The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital and was said to be in stable condition, per WABC.

Police have recovered a knife, but as of Friday, the suspect was still on the loose, the New York Daily News reports.

The midday attack has caused further concern for subway riders as transit crimes have been making headlines in Democrat Mayor Eric Adams’s city.

“I don’t know what to think, I’m just in shock,” one rider told WABC. “It’s scary, and it’s sad, I don’t know. I don’t know what to say.”

One woman told the New York Post that she was not shocked by the unprovoked stabbing, adding that “crime is up.” 

“No good. We are going down the tubes. “It’s a sad situation, sad day,” the straphanger said. 

From the time Adams was sworn in on January 1 up through February 13, transit crime has seen a 65.3 percent increase in comparison to the same time frame in 2021, the New York Police Department’s (NYPD) crime statistics show.

On February 9, police say a suspect attempted to carry out a mid-morning rape on an E subway train that approached the Canal Street station in Tribeca, Breitbart News reported. A suspect identified as 22-year-old Timothy Thomas was arrested the following day, according to the New York Post.

The Transit District 20 Public Safety Team was on it when they spotted ὄ this male wanted for an attempted rape by the Transit Special Victims within 24 hours. Great investigation and coordination by your detectives and transit officers keeping our subways🚊 safe. @NYPDTransit pic.twitter.com/NSZ1ZjIop4

— NYPD Special Victims (@NYPDSVU) February 10, 2022

On January 15, police say a man identified as Simon Martial killed Michelle Go, an Asian woman, by pushing her in front of a moving subway train at the Times Square station at around 9:40 a.m., Breitbart News reported. He was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. As he was perp-walked out of the Midtown South NYPD Precinct later that day, he admitted to reporters that he pushed Go and declared himself God.

On Friday, Adams revealed his Subway Safety Plan, “which lays out how his administration will begin addressing public safety concerns and supporting people experiencing homelessness and serious mental illness on New York City’s subways,” a press release from the Mayor’s office states.

The release states in part:

The plan includes comprehensive investments in short- and medium-term solutions, including expanded outreach teams with New York Police Department (NYPD) officers and clinicians, additional housing and mental health resources, and outlines long-term systems improvements through changes to state and federal laws to connect more New Yorkers to the care they need. A key component of the plan will also direct NYPD personnel to assist in enforcing certain subway rules, such as sleeping across multiple seats, exhibiting aggressive behavior to passengers, or creating an unsanitary environment.

“It is cruel and inhumane to allow unhoused people to live on the subway, and unfair to paying passengers and transit workers who deserve a clean, orderly, and safe environment,” Adams said in part.