Man Stabbed in Back on Upper West Side Subway Platform in Second Similar Attack This Month
A 23-year-old man was stabbed in the back by a stranger while waiting for a train at a Manhattan subway station, marking the second such attack in the city’s subway system this month.
The stabbing occurred around 7 p.m. Friday on the northbound No. 1 platform at the 96th Street and Broadway station on the Upper West Side, police said. According to law enforcement sources, the victim had been engaged in an argument with another rider before the attack.
After the dispute, the attacker plunged a blade into the victim’s back, authorities said. The suspect, described by police sources as a light-skinned male with a slim build, fled to the street level following the assault.
A knife was recovered at the scene, according to police. The victim was taken to Mt. Sinai-Morningside Hospital in stable condition and was expected to survive, officials said.
The nature of the argument leading up to the stabbing wasn’t immediately known, and police have not announced any arrests as of Saturday. Investigators have not said whether they believe the case is linked to a similar incident that took place earlier this month.
In that earlier case, a 45-year-old man was stabbed in the back during a morning rush hour altercation at the Union Square subway station, police said. The Dec. 6 incident unfolded around 10 a.m. on the L train platform at the 14th Street-Union Square hub.
A male attacker fled the scene of that incident as well, and no arrests have been made, according to authorities. The victim in that case was taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.
Both attacks share troubling similarities: each involved a male victim stabbed in the back during a dispute with an unknown assailant, followed by the attacker fleeing without immediate capture.
When asked on Saturday whether detectives are examining potential links between the two stabbings, police did not immediately respond.
These incidents come just a week after New York Governor Kathy Hochul said crime in the subway system had fallen to its lowest level in 16 years. She also said overall transit crime is down nearly 15% from 2019, the last full pre-pandemic year.
In response to ongoing concerns surrounding public safety in the subway system, Hochul recently committed an additional $77 million to keep NYPD officers deployed in transit during 2026. This funding commitment comes despite incoming Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s stated plans to shift some responsibilities from transit police to social workers.
Both stabbing victims were hospitalized in stable condition and are expected to survive, officials said. As of Saturday afternoon, the suspects in both cases remained at large.