Subway Rider Stabbed On F Train In Queens
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Police are looking for a man who stabbed a Good Samaritan who was trying to break up a fight on an F train.
It happened Wednesday afternoon in Queens.
It's unknown what the argument on the train between two people was about or why this Good Samaritan thought it was a good idea to step in.
After he'd been stabbed, the man was able to walk himself off the train, when someone called 911.
Photos snapped aboard the train show the man man police say stabbed another rider at around 5 p.m. just before the 75th Avenue stop on Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills.
Police say the man with the knife had been in an altercation with a woman when the victim tried to de-escalate the situation.
"So the lesson is, mind your business," said Lisa Buono. "I would leave and I would just call 911. That's it. I would mind my business and wouldn't get involved."
Buono and her colleague Tara Minion saw EMTs taking the 49-year-old victim to the hospital yesterday afternoon. They had the exact opposite opinion about what one should do to help keep a subway dispute from getting more violent.
"If I saw someone who needed help, I would just want to try and do something. I wouldn't put myself in danger if they looked very crazy, I would step away and call someone," Minion told CBS2's Clark Fouraker. "If I didn't feel threatened, I would try to reach out and help them in any way I could."
Police say the man was stabbed in his chest and leg. They say he and the suspect had no prior relationship.
Riders on the line told Fouraker they've seen disputes before and don't always know what the best reaction is.
"Basically, I probably try to call the police and let them more or less do their job," said Jeffrey Bush.
"I guess I've done both," said James Main of Jackson Heights. "I think oce it escalated beyond a certain point, you tend not to get involved because it seems dangerous. If it's something small, you might be able to make a friendly comment to dispel some of the anger."
Police say they suspect exited the train at the 75th Avenue stop and left the station before police arrived. They say they don't know anything about the suspect because he was mid-commute and need help finding him.
The victim was admitted to the hospital overnight but was released this afternoon. His injuries were not life-threatening.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.
