A Wednesday night ride on the Bx12 bus in Fordham turned violent when a masked rider slashed two 17-year-olds, leaving a teenage boy with cuts to his neck and hand and a girl with a slash to her hand, authorities said. EMS rushed both teens to St. Barnabas Hospital, where police say their injuries do not appear to be life-threatening. Bystander video shows emergency crews treating one of the victims at a bus shelter after the bus pulled over, while the attacker took off on foot.
Officers were called to the Bx12 stop at East Fordham Road and Valentine Avenue just before 8 p.m., according to News 12 New York. The outlet reported that citizen-app footage captured EMS treating one of the teens inside the bus shelter. Police said an unknown sharp object was used in the attack, and that both victims were taken to St. Barnabas Hospital, where they are expected to recover.
Suspect described
"Police are looking for a male last seen wearing a ski mask," News 12 New York reported. Investigators said the man was dressed in all black, got off the bus after the slashing and then ran away. Detectives are asking anyone with information to contact authorities.
Transit context
The Bx12 is one of the Bronx's busiest cross-town bus routes, and the East Fordham Road stop is a major transfer point, with packed sidewalks and constant foot traffic. That stretch of Fordham Road has long been a flashpoint in debates over street design and transit safety. Last year, a plan to carve out a dedicated busway along Fordham Road was pulled after local pushback, a decision transit advocates say left riders stuck with crowded stops and limited enforcement that can make tense moments on board even harder to manage. As Fordham Road busway plan got shelved detailed, the proposal's withdrawal left congestion and delays largely unchanged.
Bus route listings confirm that the Bx12 serves the East Fordham Road and Valentine Avenue stop where police say the attack happened, a location that busmaps.com shows as a regular Bx12 stop.
The NYPD investigation into the slashing is ongoing, and officials are urging anyone who may recognize the suspect description or who was on that bus to come forward. This story will be updated as authorities release more details.
