NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A man was stabbed multiple times on an Upper West Side subway train Wednesday night before his friend pepper-sprayed the man attacking him, police said amid rising concerns about transit violence.
The 26-year-old victim and an older man got into some sort of argument on a northbound 2 train at the 72nd Street station around 11 p.m.
During the dispute, the older man stabbed the victim in his leg and in his left finger, according to police.
A woman who was with the victim then pepper-sprayed the attacker before he could do any more damage, police said.
The suspect fled on a northbound 1 train after being pepper-sprayed. He was still being sought Thursday.
The victim was taken to Mount Sinai Morningside in stable condition.
The stabbing is just the latest attack in recent weeks to put the spotlight back on transit crime. The violence has included multiple subway shovings, as well as random assaults, among them a woman who was beaten and robbed of her eyeglasses on Tuesday.
NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell recently called it a “challenging” period for transit crime. She said more officers are being sent into the subway. The MTA has also directed conductors to announce when officers are aboard trains or platforms to help on-edge riders feel safer.
Subway ridership numbers are still low, down more than 35% from pre-pandemic levels.
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