A 68-year-old man waiting on the southbound platform at 23rd Street wound up in serious pain after police say a woman walked up, blasted him in the face with pepper spray, and bolted from the station.
The robbery happened around 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16, at the Eighth Avenue and West 23rd Street subway stop, according to investigators. The woman has not been identified.
Police Release Images And Ask For Tips
The NYPD shared still images and a short case summary on Facebook on July 6, asking anyone who recognizes the woman or who has relevant surveillance footage to get in touch with detectives. According to NYPD Crime Stoppers, the incident is listed as occurring on the southbound platform at the 8th Avenue and West 23rd Street station at about 6 p.m. on June 16.
Crime Stoppers notes that tips can be submitted by calling 1-800-577-TIPS or by messaging the department at @NYPDTips, and that people who provide information leading to an arrest may be eligible for a cash reward, according to NYPD Crime Stoppers. The city also offers a mobile app option for submitting tips, per City of New York.
Where It Happened
The attack went down on the southbound platform of the 23rd Street station at Eighth Avenue, which serves the C and E trains on Manhattan’s west side. The station has multiple street-level stairs at West 23rd Street and Eighth Avenue and links Chelsea to other west side neighborhoods, per station information.
Context: Attacks On Older New Yorkers
The alert lands in the middle of a run of high-profile assaults targeting older New Yorkers this year, and police have been leaning heavily on public appeals for video and witnesses. Similar wanted notices involving seniors have surfaced in recent months, underscoring how often detectives rely on bystander footage to move cases forward.
How To Help
Anyone with information or video from the 23rd Street station incident is asked to call 1-800-577-TIPS, submit a tip online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or message the NYPD at @NYPDTips. Tips can be submitted anonymously and may be eligible for a cash reward if they lead to an arrest, according to NYPD Crime Stoppers. As of the latest Crime Stoppers post, no arrests had been announced.
