The unsettling trend of violence in Manhattan's subway system continues as two disturbing incidents occurred within just a day of each other, with victims attacked in situations described by authorities as random and, in one instance, driven by auditory hallucinations.
Early this morning, a 46-year-old man was attacked on the southbound No. 3 train at West 96th Street at around 4:30 a.m., sustaining slashes to his left elbow, shoulder, and the left side of his neck and head, as ABC7NY reported. The 54-year-old suspect has been apprehended, and the victim has been reported stable after being taken to Mount Sinai Morningside, charges are currently pending against the attacker as the police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding this act of violence.
This assault comes in the wake of the deployment of 300 NYPD officers to patrol the subway during overnight hours, a measure put in place by Gov. Kathy Hochul in response to the public’s need for heightened security, and the strategy includes deploying two officers on every train running between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., with an intention to bolster public confidence and safety while traveling during these hours.
In a separate and equally troubling event, a 23-year-old woman was unpredictably shoved into an Inwood-bound A train at the 175th Street station by Markeese Brazelis, a 26-year-old man who later claimed he was commanded by voices in his head, according to a statement obtained by AMNY. Brazelis was captured by officers at the 181st Street station and has since been charged, this following past arrests that include a sexual assault and trepassing on subway tracks, his existing criminal history raises questions on the efficacy of the current justice system and its safeguards.
