Queens subway rider struck in face with metal object in unprovoked attack
A 26-year-old Queens subway was struck in the face by a stranger wielding a metal object in an unprovoked attack, officials said Saturday.
The early-morning assault occurred after the NYPD has assigned more cops to ride the trains, particularly during late-night hours.
The victim was riding a Jamaica-bound F train at about 12:05 a.m. Wednesday when the bearded, balding attacker ran up and clobbered him in the face with a metal object.
The attack occurred without any provocation and the victim had never seen the assailant before, cops said.
Stunned, the victim got off the train a few moments later when it entered the 67th Ave. station in Forest Hills. His attacker remained on the train as it departed the station.
The victim was not seriously injured, cops said.
With the help of MTA surveillance footage, cops were able to secure images of the attacker by a train turnstile.
At the time of the attack, he was wearing black sweatpants and a black coat over a bright red shirt. He was carrying a large duffel bag.
The early-morning assault occurred after the NYPD has assigned more cops to ride the trains, particularly during late-night hours.
During her State of the state address last month, Gov. Hochul announced the state will be spearheading a $154 million initiative to put a cop on every overnight subway train in the city through June 'to reduce crime and the fear of crime' in the MTA's mass transit system.
'I want to see more uniformed police officers,' Hochul said. 'Not just on the platforms, but more importantly on every single train overnight — 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. — for the next six months.'
'The state will support these efforts financially,' she said, calling the state of the subway system 'chaos.'
The additional officers have provided mixed results. During the last week of January, with the additional officers in place, cops saw an 83% jump in assaults. Between Jan. 27 and Feb. 2, police had investigated 11 assaults, five more than the same week last year.
So far this year, however, assaults had fallen by 15%, from 58 last year to 49.
Police on Saturday released images of the attacker in the hopes someone recognizes him.
Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is urged to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
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