Police in Lower Manhattan are on the hunt for the fare-beating brute who beat a woman with a stick inside a subway station last week.
According to police sources, the bizarre attack unfolded at approximately 8 p.m. on March 6 inside the Fulton Street subway station.
Authorities said the suspect bumped into the victim, a 29-year-old woman, as they rode an escalator; the run-in led to a verbal altercation.
Things quickly turned violent, cops said, when the perpetrator used a stick he was carrying to pummel her several times across her head. He then fled the scene on foot in an unknown direction.
Officers from the 1st Precinct and NYPD Transit District 2 responded to the scene. The victim suffered pain, as well as swelling and bruising to her head. She was rushed to New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where she was treated for her injuries.
MTA surveillance video, which police released on Saturday night, showed the suspect entering the subway system and evading the fare by jumping the turnstile.
The video also shows him carrying the makeshift weapon as well as what appears to be a plastic cup. He was last seen wearing a dark hooded coat, black pants, and boots.
The attack occurred the same night as MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber rode the subways with amNewYork Metro to discuss transit safety issues.
According to police, authorities have found a correlation between fare evasion and crime underground. In the exclusive interview, Lieber said that the MTA wants to halt fare evasion by looking to redesign every turnstile in the city.
“Ultimately, what we’re going to have to do is change the turnstiles so we have these more modern turnstiles that really block people and don’t let them in,” Lieber said. ”We’re pushing back. We’re going to keep going, and then we’re going to change all the turnstiles and make them a lot less porous because right now the system is too porous.”
Anyone with information regarding this attack can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
