A 36-year-old man was slashed in the head early Friday while riding an MTA bus in the Bronx, according to the NYPD, in an attack that unfolded around 5:44 a.m. and sent the victim to a local hospital in stable condition. The suspect fled on foot toward the Castle Hill subway station.
Police say the victim was riding a Bx22 bus at the time of the attack, according to PIX11. Sources told the outlet that a dispute preceded the stabbing, though the NYPD said it had no other information immediately available. EMS transported the victim to a local hospital, where he was listed in stable condition, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The Bx22 runs between Bedford Park and the Soundview/Castle Hill section of the Bronx, with its southern end near Zerega Avenue and Castle Hill Avenue, according to the MTA. Zerega Avenue is served by the 6 train. Police reported that the suspect fled toward Castle Hill station.
A Familiar Pattern on Bronx Bus Lines
In June, a 23-year-old passenger was slashed in the face during the Friday evening commute, just after 5 p.m., aboard a Bx2 bus near Grand Concourse, with the attacker still unidentified when that victim was taken to Lincoln Hospital. In March, a masked suspect used an unknown sharp object to slash two teenagers aboard a Bx12 bus at East Fordham Road and Valentine Avenue before running off, per News 12.
Earlier this year, a verbal dispute over vape smoke on a Bx13 bus escalated into a beating and hand slashing of a 19-year-old rider, a case Hoodline covered in its piece on a vape-fueled Bronx bus attack. Investigators in that incident said the suspects fled the bus before re-boarding through the rear doors to continue the assault, underscoring how quickly these disputes can spiral once tempers flare in close quarters.
Transit Assaults Buck a Citywide Trend
The slashing arrives amid a wider divergence between overall crime trends and transit-specific violence. NYPD statistics show transit felony assaults across New York City rose 10 percent through August 23, with 429 reported incidents compared to 388 during the same period in 2025, according to ArcaMax. That increase came even as the city recorded historically low summer homicide and shooting numbers overall.
The longer-term picture also includes NYPD transit statistics showing major transit felonies dipped slightly, down 1.3 percent in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period a year earlier, a category that includes murder, robbery, felony assault, and grand larceny.
What Charges the Suspect Could Face
Potential charges would depend on the facts and applicable law; the alleged assault involved a passenger.
The report says the suspect fled toward the Castle Hill subway station after the attack.
Anyone with information is asked to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), by text to 274637 using the code TIP577, or through the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app. Spanish-speaking callers can reach investigators at 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The investigation remains ongoing, and no other information was immediately available from police.
