NYC subway crime surge continues: Muggers with flashy footwear are filmed beating a man at a Midtown station and a man is stabbed in the neck with an UMBRELLA in Harlem
New York City's surge in subway crime continued over Memorial Day weekend as one man was stabbed in the neck with an umbrella at a Harlem subway station and another was brutally beaten by a pair of muggers wearing distinctive shoes in Midtown.
The first attack unfolded just before 5am Sunday when a 64-year-old man was cornered by a pair of violent robbers at a Midtown subway turnstile at E 59th St and Lexington Ave, police said.
Surveillance video showed the two suspects with flashy footwear jumping the victim before punching him and cutting his face with a knife.
A still-image taken from surveillance video footage of a man being beaten and robbed at the Lexington Avenue and E. 59th Street train station on Sunday, one of many subway crimes that occurred over the three-day holiday weekend
Surveillance video showed the two suspects with flashy footwear jumping the victim before punching him and cutting his face with a knife
One of the attackers dragged the man by his feet after the victim attempted to escape them by jumping over the turnstile, the video shows.
'Give us your money, or we're gonna kill you,' the duo demanded.
The two attackers continued to kick and beat the man before one of thieves slashed the victim's face with a blade as he stood trapped in the turnstile.
The video then shows the man taking $150 in cash out of his pockets, which the slasher quickly snatches from his hands before the two flee the scene, according to the NYPD.
Police highlighted the suspects' expensive footwear in a news release seeking information that could lead to their capture.
The man who slashed the victim's face had a grey Champion sweatshirt on with Nike Flightposite Topaz Mist sneakers, with his accomplice wearing a black sweatshirt and Timberland x NBA basketball shoes.
The Nike Flightposite Topaz Mist sneakers go for about $210 according to the website Flight Club, with the Timberland x NBA boots fetching up to $299 on the website StockX.
Police highlighted the suspects' expensive footwear in a news release seeking information that could lead to their capture. One of the suspects was wearing Nike Flightposite Topaz Mist sneakers, which run anywhere from $200-$299
The other 'sneakerhead' robber was wearing a pair of Timberland x NBA Boots, which cost about $250. Cops hope the distinctive footwear will help identify the assailants
One of the Midtown subway attackers flees after he and an accomplice rob, beat and slash a 64-year-old man for $150 in cash
Nearly 24 hours later in Harlem, another man was stabbed in the neck with an umbrella at the 125th Street station on Lenox Avenue, PIX11 reports.
The 51-year-old victim had gotten into a verbal dispute with another, unidentified man before being stabbed, police sources told the outlet.
The man was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition and was upgraded to stable several hours later, according to authorities.
His attacker fled the subway station following the assault.
No arrests have been made in either subway crime, police say.
The duo wanted in connection to the Midtown subway robbery are described as between 18 and 25 years old, with both men wearing said distinctive designer shoes, and the attacker in the black sweatshirt donning a tattoo on his right hand, the Daily News reports.
The umbrella-stabber is simply described as a man in his 30s.
Law enforcement gather at the 125th Street subway station in Harlem after a 51-year-old man was stabbed in the neck with an umbrella on Monday morning
Citywide statistics show that subway crimes are occurring drastically more frequent this year than they were in 2020.
Fifty-five transit-related crimes were reported in the past week alone - compared with just 21 in the same period last year, according to NYPD CompStat.
More than 120 felony assaults have taken place so far this year - the highest number for the first three months of the year since 1998.
Last year saw 106 felony assaults recorded over the same period, with 91 reported in 2019.
Murders doubled between 2019 and 2020 - from three, to six, with the 2021 figure now on track to eclipse the previous two years.
Meanwhile, felonies - serious crimes including murders, rapes and assaults - saw a steep 53.7 percent increase over the last two years.
For every million riders in the first three months of this year there were a reported 1.63 felonies. That was up from 1.06 reported felonies per million riders in 2019 - a 53.7 percent increase.
The numbers for the early part of 2021 are also up on the 1.48 reported felonies per million riders for the same period in 2020 - an increase of 10.1 per cent in just a year, according to The New York Times.
There have also been seven racist attacks on Asian-Americans so-far in 2021, compared to none recorded over the same period the previous year.
The total number of major felonies has dropped overall - with 335 reported this year so far, versus 697 for the same period in 2020, and 559 for the same period in 2019.
But safety advocates say the overall number of riders was far greater for the same period last year and the year before, pre-COVID shutdowns, and that the felonies per million riders offer a more useful snapshot of rising crime figures.
An NYPD CompStat Incident Map showing all of the subway-related crime reports made citywide from May 17 to May 23. Authorities say there were 55 transit crimes made last week compared to just 21 made the same time last year
No comments