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Renewed focus on NYC subway safety
After a pair of incidents this past weekend near Penn Station, more questions are being asked about safety on the New York City subway system and what's behind a recent rise in crime.
NEW YORK - More questions are being raised about safety on the New York City subway system after several attacks over the weekend.
On Sunday, police say 64-year-old Abu Khan was kicked off of the platform and fell onto the tracks, but was rescued by other passengers.
Khan, a postal worker, told FOX 5 NY that he was on his way home from work when the attack happened.
According to Khan, the suspect approached him and asked him a question he didn't understand before moving behind him and kicking him in the back, knocking him onto the tracks.
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Man kicked onto subway tracks speaks out
Abu Khan, the 64-year-old man who was randomly kicked onto the subway tracks on sunday, is speaking out about his experience, asking for New York City's subways to be made safer.
Khan says other passengers managed to pull him off the tracks just before another train pulled into the station.
Police are still searching for the suspect.
A surveillance photo of the suspect wanted for allegedly kicking a 64-year-old man onto the subway tracks near Penn Station. (Credit: NYPD)
At the same station at around 11 p.m. last Friday, police say a 27-year-old man was approached by a male suspect aboard an A train pulling into the 34th Street/Penn Station stop. The suspect allegedly made an anti-LGBTQ statement before slashing the man with a box cutter.
After a 45% increase in subway crime in January, the NYPD flooded the system with an additional 1,000 officers in February. For the last 28 days this year, compared to last year, crime is down 13.2%.
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NYPD Transit Bureau Chief Michael Kemper told FOX 5 NY that officers are not simply going into the system for show, and that arrests are up by 45.4% so far this year compared to last year.
"That includes fare evasion and all disorderly behavior, weapons possession arrests are up, guns, knives, you name it, all enforcement areas are up," Kemper said.
According to Kemper, repeat offenders are a recurring issue with subway crime.
"We find ourselves arresting the same people over and over again and we've got to ask ourselves why are we arresting certain people dozens of times, some people over 100 times, where are the consequences for these recidivist criminals preying on our riders?" Kemper said.