UPPER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) — New York police say they are looking for a man who slashed two women in an Upper East Side subway station and another woman minutes later aboard a train in Lower Manhattan.
Officers were running around the 4/5/6 station at 86th Street and Lexington Ave looking for the person who cut down two women and ran. Just before 4:30 p.m. Sunday, police say the logger attacked a 19-year-old woman climbing the stairs and a 48-year-old woman on the platform, cutting them both in the legs.
As the women were being taken to the hospital, downtown police were hit again at the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall station. It happened on a downtown 4 train just 17 minutes later. A 28-year-old woman was slashed in the leg, leading police to finally connect the crimes.
In all cases, the attacker stalked his victims from behind. One of the injuries was said to be serious.
For Nicholas Altobelli, who worked just a block away from the scene on the Upper East Side, what he witnessed in February 2020 on a 6 train came back when he heard screams and helped a woman who was cut randomly He removed his shirt to use as a tourniquet when a young victim suffered a cut to the head.
He says seeing the commotion on Sunday was a terrifying reminder.
“Clearly if this happened two years ago and we’re still dealing with it now, I mean, this is something very, very vicious, and something we need to clean up,” Altobelli said.
“At stations 4/5/6, I think they need to be a little careful about putting people, police,” said Sazan Thapa, who works nearby.
It’s been a busy weekend for NYPD investigating violent crimes, and not just along Lexington Avenue.
A stabbing on the J train early Sunday morning sent one man to the hospital.
Detectives are still seeking witnesses and video to explain what happened to a man who died after being found with stab wounds on a 4 train early Saturday morning in Union Square.
On East 86th Street, regular drivers are wary, knowing the person who attacked the victims is still out there.
“It’s still scary for everyone who takes the train to this station. I think they need to do a better job around this area,” Thapa said.
Police on Monday released surveillance video of the man they were looking for.
He is described as having short black hair, brown eyes, 5’8″ tall and approximately 220 pounds. He was last seen wearing a white shirt, blue pants, black sneakers and a black baseball cap with the letter “B” in red on the front.
Sarah Feinberg, the former interim president of NYC Transit, tweeted: “3 women were stabbed by 1 individual in the subway system yesterday. The news is saying ‘random’ and ‘unprovoked’…but it’s not random when the perpetrators specifically target women. . . call it what it is, which is a hate crime targeting women.”
He went on to say, “And these crimes were committed yesterday afternoon. It is now Monday at noon. Do the elected leaders of New York not know that this happened almost 24 hours ago? Or are they aware and decided that 3 women were stabbed in the transit system? don’t you even rise to the level of a disturbing comment?”
NYC Transit President Richard Davey released a statement saying, “NYC Transit cameras captured good photos of this perpetrator jumping the turnstile and I’m sure the NYPD will track him down in short order. When they do , prosecutors must press for maximum consequences under the Act.”
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) .
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