Four people were attacked in 11 minutes at three different stops along a Brooklyn-bound 4-train Friday morning.
Between 4:26am and 4:37am, NYPD said two to three men punched and slashed four people, stole money and wallets, and, in at least one attack, threw someone’s cell phone on tracks so the victim couldn’t call 911.
All four were taken to hospitals with non life-threatening injuries, according to the NYPD.
The first attack was around 4:26am in at the 14th Street/Union Square station where two men pushed a man on the subway and then cut him him across the face.
Two victims were assaulted in the second attack at the Astor Place station at 4:34am, the NYPD said. One was punched in the face and the other was slashed in the face.
And the final attack happened at 4:37am in the Brooklyn Bridge subway station, where a man was slashed in the head.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio “has created a de facto hunting season against transit workers in the and bus system,” the Transport Workers Union, which represents 60,000 members in New York State.
‘It’s a total betrayal of the blue collar heroes of the pandemic.’
There were four attacks in 11 minutes on the 4-train Friday morning
The city’s subway system has become a flashpoint for violence over the last year
Police are still piecing together what happened at each attack but said there are two or three suspects, all described as black men in their 20s to 30s.
“Several subway riders were the victims of unprovoked assaults, likely perpetrated by the same suspects,” NYPD Transit said in a statement on Twitter. “We won’t stand for these acts of violence in our subways. Detectives are pursuing all leads & these criminals will be brought to justice.”
Anyone with information about these assaults is asked to call the NYPD tip line at 800 577- TIPS. All calls are strictly confidential.
Friday’s attack happened two days after four commuters were beaten over the course of three hours in unprovoked subway attacks, including a victim who was spit on and slashed in the face.
The international transit un
This week’s violence on the subways were the latest in a rash of random assaults in a year-long trend sparked by the pandemic.
Police leaders in the city previously say the random street and subway attacks is returning New York to its 1980s nadir, when lawlessness and murder were commonplace.
There was a tough crackdown in the 1980s, which lowered crime levels made neighborhoods that were previously known as no-go areas safe to walk around, even at night.
But now, there are fears the city is returning to the bad old days, including areas like today’s attacks in Midtown Manhattan, which have generally been considered to be safe.
In an essay written exclusively for DailyMail.com on Wednesday, Sergeants Benevolent Association president Ed Mullins blamed Mayor Bill de Blasio and fellow officials for New York City’s descent into lawlessness.
‘As the city burns, more lives are lost, and devastated families mourn, these buffoonish ‘leaders’ continue to say the police are the problem – not the solution,’ wrote Mullins.
NYPD figures from April show the overall crime index rose 30.4% compared to the same month last year.
This was driven by a 166% increase in shooting incidents, a 35.6% increase in felony assault, and a 66% increase in reported thefts.
Murder rates in the city have gone up by 15.8% year-on-year, robbery is up 28.6% and rape has increased by 53%, according to official figures from the NYPD.
NYPD crime figures show felony assault was up 35.6% in April from last year, murder has increased 15.8% and robbery had soared by 28.6%
Unprovoked attacks are leaving some residents on edge and even looking for self-defense classes.
DailyMail.com contacted Mayor Bill DeBlasio’s office for comment.