MANHATTAN (PIX11) — A cleanup on a subway platform turned violent and the station cleaner is recovering from a knife attack.
NYPD is searching for the suspect, who they say got away on a 1 train on Monday evening, August 24, at the Times Square Station complex.
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Transport Workers Union Local 100 is drawing attention to the case and demanding tougher penalties and enforcement.
The attack has renewed concerns among transit workers and their union about assaults in New York City’s subway system. TWU Local 100 is calling for increased police presence, tougher prosecutions and stronger penalties for people who attack transit employees.
Station cleaners are responsible for keeping platforms clean and addressing unsafe conditions.
But an encounter at the Times Square station on August 24 left one station cleaner with serious cuts to the shoulder, arm and hand. The deep cuts and injuries required stitches.
The suspect has not been arrested and the transit worker did not want to speak publicly about the attack.
Robert Kelley, TWU Local 100’s vice president for stations, said he has been checking in with the employee and the worker’s family.
“Viciousness comes in all shapes and sizes and you never know,” Kelley said. “Viciousness comes in all shapes and sizes and you never know,” Kelley said. “He’s in shock, the family is in shock.”
The union says the transit worker was cleaning up after the suspect, who had urinated on the Times Square platform. The incident occurred near the end of the worker’s shift.
Instead of leaving at the end of his shift, Kelley said, the employee headed to the area.
“Instead of going home, he went to the situation to clean it and make it a safe environment,” Kelley said.
“But at that point he was met with this combativeness and cursed out.”
Police have surveillance video and photographs of the suspect from the attack.
The union has added $2,000 to the Crime Stoppers reward for information leading to the suspect’s arrest.
Call 1-800-577-TIPS with information.
TWU Local 100 is also calling for more police in the subway system and tougher consequences for people who assault transit workers.
John Chiarello, president of TWU Local 100, said the attack should be treated as more than a routine assault.
“We need something punitive. We need higher penalties,” Chiarello said. “The crime that was committed here was attempted murder, not the regular assault on a transit worker for seven years. This is attempted murder.”
New York state expanded the number of transit employees covered under the state’s transit worker assault law in 2022. District attorneys say they review the cases and evidence as a case is prosecuted.
The union, along with a new coalition of more than 90 public safety unions, is calling for higher minimum sentences, tougher prosecutions and expanded mental health outreach.
Scott Munro, president of the Detectives’ Endowment Association and founder of the new coalition, said elected officials need to take action to protect workers and the public.
“I’m calling on Albany. I’m calling on the mayor. I’m calling on them to do their job,” Munro said. “We don’t need anyone assaulted, whether you’re a transit worker or police officer or someone strolling through New York.”
Cameras installed by the MTA and the state are also playing a role in the investigation. They again provided a high-quality image and video sequence. The MTA says all subway cars have been equipped with cameras since the end of 2024.
The MTA created an Office of Criminal Justice Advocate in 2024 to assist with and monitor cases as they move through the judicial system.
The city and state have also increased the number of officers in the transit system, added transit officers and introduced new deployments during the past six years.
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