The homeless man accused of a subway stabbing aboard a Lower Manhattan train on New Year’s Day allegedly attacked his victim because he stole his blanket, prosecutors revealed Thursday.
Citing on-the-record statements, law enforcement sources said 52-year-old Jamar Banks was sleeping aboard a uptown-bound 2 train alongside his suitcase around 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 1 when the victim, a 32-year-old man, allegedly swiped the suitcase, dragged it to an adjacent car, and pulled out a blanket he then used to cover himself to sleep on a train seat.
According to the indictment, Banks woke up as the train pulled into the 14th Street station and realized his belongings were missing. He then went on the hunt and found the 32-year-old man inside the train, tucked up on the seat with the blanket.
Prosecutors said Banks allegedly pulled out a knife, ripped off the sheet and started screaming. As the victim attempted to flee, authorities reported, Banks allegedly stabbed him in the back — the knife penetrating his lung with a 5-centimeter-deep laceration.
Bleeding profusely, the indictment noted, the victim made it to another subway car, where he pushed an emergency button and collapsed; straphangers on board the train also dialed 911.
EMS rushed him to Bellevue Hospital where he underwent treatment for a ruptured lung and internal bleeding.
Meanwhile, Banks fled the scene following the stabbing. The NYPD Warrant Squad caught up to him on Jan. 5 at the 219th Street train station in the Bronx and in possession of the knife allegedly used in the stabbing.
Law enforcement sources also reported that Banks is also suspected of stabbing a 47-year-old MTA worker in the armpit at around 4:10 p.m. on Jan. 2 — the day after the 2 train attack — on a northbound 5 train platform at the Pelham Parkway Station. The victim in the 5 train stabbing was treated at Jacobi Hospital.
“Jamar Banks allegedly stabbed a man on the subway on New Year’s Day before fleeing,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg said on Feb. 6. “Violence in our subway system will not be tolerated, and we will continue to prosecute those who harm straphangers. I hope the victim heals from this assault.”
Banks appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court on Feb. 5 for arraignment on an indictment charging him with first-degree assault and attempted assault, and second-degree assault.
Banks has an extensive criminal history, according to police, with over 50 arrests. In October 2022, Banks allegedly stabbed a man in the leg aboard a northbound 2 train; in this case, he was charged with assault.
The following April, he was caught with a knife while shoplifting.
