Two people died and two others were injured after several stabbing incidents at subway stations in New York City.
New York Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said in a Press conference on Saturday afternoon, there were four separate incidents of people being “cut with a sharp object” on the subway system on line A.
Shea said another 500 police officers will be deployed across New York City to patrol the subway system.
“The end result that the public should know is this: they can expect to see a very large footprint of uniformed policemen spread across New York City, whether to take a train or to a platform,” said Shea. “They will be there as long as necessary to ensure that people feel safe.”
Kathleen O’Reilly, NYPD Traffic Chief, said the first attack occurred on Friday at 11:20 am, when a 67-year-old man was stabbed by an unknown man at 181st Street. He was later treated at a local hospital.
Twelve hours later, at 11:29 pm on Friday, another adult man was pronounced dead on train A at Mott Avenue-Far Rockaway station. He suffered knife wounds to his neck and torso, O’Reilly said.
At about 1:15 am on Saturday, a 44-year-old woman, unconscious, was found on a train at Inwood 207th Street station with “several knife wounds.” O’Reilly said she was transferred to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Approximately 20 minutes later, at 1:28 am on Saturday, the police answered a call at 659 W. 181st St, where they found a 43-year-old man who was stabbed at 181st St. O’Reilly said he was treated at an area hospital and is listed in stable condition.
O’Reilly said that three of the incidents “appear to be connected”, adding that the Detective’s Office “is looking into the possibility that all four may have been committed by a single individual”.
Deputy Chief Brian McGee, who runs the Manhattan North detective office, said the incidents appeared to have been unprovoked and that all the victims were homeless.
McGee said the police department “does not have much information” about the perpetrator at this time.