Subway rider dies, 2 wounded in stabbings, NYPD searching for suspects
NEW YORK -- After one person died and two were wounded in separate stabbings on the subway Thursday, police are still searching for suspects.
The latest attack happened at the 175th Street station in the Morris Heights section. According to police, it was unprovoked. The suspect ran off and the victim died at the hospital, CBS2's Jenna DeAngelis reported.
All day Friday, NYPD officers have been patrolling the station, standing on the same platform where 38-year-old Charles Moore was stabbed. Police posted Crime Stoppers posters with a picture of the alleged attacker.
"I was on my way home, and they skipped the stop. And I saw the blood on the ground," said Irma Gonzalez, a Morris Heights resident. "It's devastating to see how the community is deteriorating more and more each and every day."
"He was a good guy. He really kept to himself. Everybody that knew him loved him. He was just that kind of guy," said Troy Williams, a friend of Moore's.
Williams was thinking of his late friend and safety on board the trains as he headed into the same station with his 12-year-old son.
"Obviously, you're wary of that kind of thing when it happens so close to home," Williams told CBS2's Ali Bauman.
Others couldn't help but call on Mayor Eric Adams, who used to be a transit officer, to do more.
"For an ex-police officer, he needs to control this crime," one person told CBS2's John Dias.
"It's really not safe. If you look at the whole situation, we might need more police presence here more often," said Dauda Musah.
It was the third stabbing in the subway system in a span of eight hours.
The first happened at around 1 p.m. in Harlem. Police said a 59-year-old man was heading to the 125th Street station when he tapped the shoulder of a man in his way. That led to a dispute and he was stabbed.
About four hours later, in Brooklyn, investigators said another man followed a 45-year-old into the station at Pitkin and Grant Avenues and slashed him across the face.
Then, the Bronx victim was stabbed multiple times exiting the train.
"We know from witnesses that there was no contact in that train car between the victim and the assailant. But looking at the video, it looks as though the attacker goes after that individual specifically," said NYPD Chief of Dept. Kenneth Corey.
It's not stopping people from riding the subway because it's the only option many people have.
"No matter what happens on the train, I always have to take it. So I just have to take the risk," said Elliot Acosta, of the Bronx.
"I have to do it, because I gotta work," said Krystal Jordan, of the Bronx.
"We should be able to go on the train system and feel safe. So, right about now, it's like taking a chance everyday with me and my kids, everyday," said Angelica Rodriguez, from Morris Heights. "You just never know what's going to happen on the subways. You don't know if you're getting to where you're going safely."
Stabbings citywide are up with about 3,500 so far this year compared to 3,100 during the same period in 2021, and felony assaults are up nearly 17 percent compared to this time last year.
NYPD data shows a 41 percent increase in subway crime this year compared to last year, when most pandemic restrictions were still in place. But, transit arrests are up by nearly 49 percent.
"We surged thousands of officers into the subway system since we started the transit safety plan. We need them on platforms, we need them riding on train. We have to deter and prevent this activity and we have to apprehend the offenders when it happens. So we have to do more and we will," said NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell.
The NYPD said is has " intense" investigations going on into all three subway stabbings. So far, no arrests have been made.
Anyone with 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 their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.