NYC crime: 76-year-old man stabbed in chest after refusing to give panhandler money
HERALD SQUARE, N.Y. - By day, the Herald Square area is full of working New Yorkers, shoppers, and tourists, but things change after the sun goes down, especially in the subway system.
Sunday night, a 76-year-old man was attacked and ended up hospitalized.
NYPD officers were called to the 35th Street entrance of the 34th Street B, D, and F train station about 11:30 p.m. Police say a 76-year-old rider was stabbed in his chest as he was exiting the station.
Sources say an aggressive panhandler attacked the man when he refused to give up his money.
Passengers United VP Jack Nierenberg says it’s a known trouble spot.
In the first 6 months of this year, the NYPD says subway crime declined by 4.4%.
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For the month of June, subway crime was up 18.2% overall. Arrests by officers of edged weapons like knives were up by 67%. Riders FOX 5 spoke with who rely on the subway for their work aren’t taking any chances.
A woman who must ride throughout the day told FOX 5 NY's Lisa Evers, "I think it’s very unfortunate and there needs to be something done, especially with the amount of taxes that we pay in New York City. I also think we should be safe riding the trains as well."
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They also say they don’t let their guard down no matter what.
"You never know when someone’s going to approach you like that aggressively," an NYC resident added.
Police told FOX 5 that the suspect ran away and there’s not much of a description of him available at this time.
The man was rushed to Bellevue where we’re told he’s expected to survive, but he’s not out of the woods yet.