Attacker pepper sprayed after stabbing man on subway

NEW YORK - It was another day, and another attack inside New York City’s mass transit system.

The latest incident happened late Wednesday night as a 26-year-old man and his girlfriend were riding an uptown #2 subway train.

The NYPD says that as the train pulled into the 72nd Street Station on the Upper West Side, a man confronted the couple and attempted to sit on the 34-year-old woman's lap.

The man told the stranger to "step back" from his girlfriend.

The suspect then pulled out a small kitchen knife and stabbed the victim in the leg.

And then the tables turned.

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The woman sprayed the stabber with pepper spray before he took off onto an uptown 1 train across the platform.  EMS responded to the location and transported the victim to Mount Sinai Saint Luke's, where he was treated and released, there were no additional injuries reported as a result of the incident.

The NYPD released a photo of the suspect on Friday morning.

He is described as around 50-years-old, with a dark complexion, approximately 5'11" tall, weighing 180 lbs., a medium build, brown eyes, brown hair, and a grey beard. He was last seen wearing a blue hooded jacket, black pants, a grey hooded sweatshirt and a black cap.

Subway slashing suspect

Transit crime remains a stubborn problem. It is up 41.4% this year, according to New York City Police statistics. The crime is up despite weekday subway ridership continuing to hover around only 60% of pre-pandemic levels.