Recent subway attacks in New York City have left commuters feeling unsafe and concerned about their daily travels
New York City: Lately, the subway has been a hot topic, and not for good reasons. A series of violent incidents has left many commuters feeling pretty uneasy.
Just recently, a woman was set on fire in a subway car in Brooklyn. That shocking event made headlines and spread like wildfire on social media, making everyone a bit more anxious about riding the trains.
Sadly, this wasn’t an isolated incident. On the same day, a man was stabbed to death on a train in Queens. And if that wasn’t enough, on New Year’s Eve, someone was pushed in front of a train in Manhattan but somehow survived.
Then, on January 1st, two separate stabbings happened at subway stations in Manhattan within just 17 minutes of each other. It’s been a rough start to the year for subway safety.
Even though city officials have been trying to make the subway safer with more police presence and security cameras, many people still feel like it’s getting more dangerous.
Interestingly, overall crime in the subway system is reportedly down this year compared to last. But murders have increased, with nine killings reported this year through November, up from five last year.
One of the most shocking incidents involved Debrina Kawam, a 57-year-old woman who was sleeping on a train when a stranger set her on fire. The suspect, Sebastian Zapeta, was arrested and is facing serious charges.
Mayor Eric Adams spoke out about the situation, expressing his frustration over the challenges of keeping mentally ill individuals out of the subway. He emphasized that people shouldn’t have to sleep on the streets or trains.
In another alarming event, a man named Joseph Lynskey was pushed onto the tracks at the 18th Street station and hit by a train but miraculously survived. He suffered serious injuries, but he’s alive.
As the new year kicked off, two stabbings occurred on the subway within minutes of each other. Police are still investigating and haven’t made any arrests yet.
Despite the increase in subway crime, Governor Kathy Hochul announced plans to deploy more National Guard troops to help with security. She also mentioned that crime overall is down 10 percent since March.
However, with subway ridership back to pre-pandemic levels, the rise in violent crime is concerning. Assaults have jumped significantly, and the governor is backing a bill to help those in psychiatric crisis, hoping to reduce these random acts of violence.
