MTA Workers Attacked at Herald Square & E. 86th St. Subway Stations, Maniacs Still on Loose

Police report two attacks on MTA workers in two separate incidents in recent days.

THE 34th STREET - HERALD SQUARE PUNCHER

The first incident took place on Jan. 17, at approximately 7 p.m. on the mezzanine of the 34th Street-Herald Square subway station. within the confines of the Midtown South / Transit District 2.

Surveillance images show the unidentified male suspect wearing a black hooded jacket over a green hoodie with black cordless headphones perched backwards, high on the individual’s head. A brief video, from which the still photo is taken, shows the man attempting to enter the subway by tapping a card on the OMNY reader.

This seems to fail and rather than jump the turnstile, the male turns around and, off camera, punches a 44-year-old male MTA employee in the face before fleeing the station on foot.

The MTA worker had two teeth knocked out and was taken to NYC Health and Hospitals / Bellevue by EMS in stable condition.

Speaking to the New York Post, the victim—who requested anonymity— said, “It’s crazy. The guy said he has money but his card was not working. So, I checked his card and the card only had 30 cents on it. I told him, ‘Sorry, you don’t have enough money.’ Then he suddenly punched me in the face and said, ‘Where did my money go?’

“Like in 10 seconds all this happened.”

THE 86TH STREET STATION SLASHER

At around 6:15 p.m. on Feb. 10 inside the 4, 5, 6 trains station at 86th Street, a 28-year-old female MTA security guard was attacked with a boxcutter by a madman in a black mask.

The assault was precipitated by the guard’s seeing the suspect attempt to enter the downtown platform through an open gate.

When she confronted him, the would-be fare-beater took out a boxcutter, slashed her in the left cheek and right eyebrow, and then ran away to parts unknown.

The attacker’s extreme masking makes a physical description difficult beyond his black winter jacket, gray hoodie, blue jeans, and brown boots.

“She was just doing her job,” an MTA employee at the station told the Daily News later that night. The attacker “was definitely a psycho.”

Anyone with information regarding these incidents is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on X @NYPDTips.

All calls are strictly confidential.