NYPD increases police presence in subway system following string of stabbings, top commander says

The New York City Police Department has assigned dozens of additional officers to patrol the subway system after a spate of stabbing incidents — including one fatality — over the weekend, a top police commander said Monday.

“We surged an additional 80-plus officers in the transit system for an increased presence, all in uniform,” NYPD Transit Chief Michael Kemper told reporters Monday afternoon.

The latest increase said Kemper followed a fatal stabbing of a 32-year-old man found on a train at the Broadway and East 14th Street station of the Lexington Avenue line, as well as the nonfatal stabbing of three women on Sunday afternoon, also on the Lexington Avenue line.

The new surge comes on top of an earlier massive increase of about 1,000 officers last October to drive down subway crime, which Kemper said is down 6% so far this year compared with the same period in 2022.

“That increase is going to remain until further notice,” Kemper said of the large scale deployment in recent months.

The victim in the fatal stabbing was struck twice in the chest with an object resembling an ice pick and was pronounced dead at a hospital, Kemper said.

“We have an active investigation …. that case is moving very quickly, “ noted Kemper, indicating an arrest was imminent.

The Sunday stabbings occurred in two separate incidents. The first one happened when two women, ages 19 to 48, were standing on the platform of the No. 4 train at 86th Street and Lexington, and were approached by a man who slashed them with a sharp object in the leg without provocation, according to police. The other incident involved a 28-year-old woman who was stabbed in the leg by the same man who had been traveling for a few stops on a No. 4 train, Kemper said.

Police have released photos of the suspect in the stabbings and are actively searching for him, Kemper said. The victims were treated at hospitals and released, Kemper added.

While Kemper acknowledged that the latest stabbings are troubling, he didn’t believe they were part of a larger pattern. He said stabbings in the subway system are down 1.25% so far this year compared with last year.

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.