A 27-year-old man was slashed in the face while riding a northbound 2 train through the Bronx on Friday morning, in an attack police say happened for no apparent reason. The victim suffered a cut to the right side of his face and was taken to the hospital, while the person responsible remains unidentified and at large.
According to ABC7 Eyewitness News, the attack happened at about 9:30 a.m. near the 225th Street subway station at White Plains Road and East 225th Street in the Wakefield neighborhood. The victim had boarded the northbound 2 train when an unidentified individual approached and attacked him without any apparent provocation, police said.
The man suffered a slash wound to the right side of his face. He was transported to Montefiore Hospital by private means and is expected to survive, per the outlet's reporting.
Suspect Described as Man in His 20s Dressed in Black
Police described the suspect as a man in his 20s, approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing about 140 pounds, who was wearing all black clothing at the time of the attack. No arrests have been made, and the investigation remains ongoing, the station's report notes.
The attack echoes an earlier confrontation on the same stretch of track. On April 20, a 27-year-old male passenger riding a northbound 2 train approaching the same East 225th Street station was pepper-sprayed in the face during a dispute with an unidentified woman, according to Norwood News. In that incident, the suspect got off the train at the station and fled on foot, while EMS took the victim to Montefiore Einstein Hospital in stable condition. Police described that suspect as a woman with a medium complexion wearing a black jacket, black sweatshirt, multicolored pants, black boots and a black hat.
What the Numbers Say About Subway Violence
Citywide data offers some context for Friday's attack. Subway assaults have tripled since 2009 even as robbery and grand larceny have declined, according to an analysis from Vital City. The same analysis found that half of all violent subway crimes occur at just 30 of the city's 472 stations, and that felony assaults happen about once every 2.3 million rides.
Unlike robberies, assaults are less likely to have a financial motive, Vital City's data shows, and roughly 80% of offenders in subway violent crimes are identified as men. The analysis also notes that in 2023, the highest per-rider risk of violent crime occurred at smaller, lower-ridership stations, particularly during late-night and early-morning hours.
For now, investigators have not released additional details about Friday's attacker, and the case remains open as police continue searching for the man described as wearing all black near the 225th Street station.
