The morning commute at Gravesend's 86th Street N train station took a familiar and unsettling turn on Tuesday, when riders learned of another violent incident at the busy neighborhood hub. Police say a man inside the station was threatened with a knife and robbed of his cellphone early that morning. He was not physically hurt, but longtime commuters said the episode felt like part of a disturbing pattern that had many muttering the same thing on the platform: "Not again."
According to police, the 31-year-old victim was approached shortly after 7:30 a.m. by a stranger who tried to sell him marijuana. When he turned the offer down, officers say the man pulled out a large knife, threatened him and took off with the victim's phone. Those details were reported by News 12 New York.
Echoes of a February slashing
Tuesday's robbery comes on the heels of a February attack in which a rider was robbed and slashed multiple times as a northbound N train pulled into the same 86th Street station. That earlier case was reported by Brooklyn Eagle, while coverage of the Gravesend N train stickup focused on the aftermath.
Transit crime numbers
According to NYPD statistics cited by News 12 New York, there have been at least 1,132 reported transit crimes citywide so far this year, seven fewer than during the same period last year. In this slice of Brooklyn, though, reported incidents have climbed to at least 122 from 105. Riders say the data does not quite capture the jumpy feeling on the platforms, especially during late-night trips when station booths are sometimes left unmanned.
Regulars at the 86th Street stop are now calling for more visible police patrols and more reliable staffing at station booths. Some residents also point to a September 2025 case as part of the same troubling pattern, when a 78-year-old woman was punched on a B1 bus at 2837 86th Street, according to reporting by Shore News Network.
Police say the investigation into Tuesday's robbery is still active, and anyone with information or video footage is urged to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers. For frustrated Gravesend riders, the refrain after yet another scare at their local station was blunt and weary: not again.
