NEW YORK — Four suspects were in custody after a Manhattan subway crime spree in which three riders were slashed and a fourth slugged in a terrifying 12-minute stretch of unprovoked attacks early Friday, police said.
The arrests were announced about 12 hours after a razor-wielding man gashed the victims on the southbound No. 4 train at the urging of an accomplice. The latest violent outburst of subway crime prompted critics to blast into Mayor Bill de Blasio over the ongoing spate of underground violence.
“City Hall cannot continue to bury its head in the sand any longer,” said Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman Pat Foye. “We need an immediate injection of police officers on platforms and on subway cars to deter attacks.”
NYPD Transit launched an immediate manhunt, tweeting that detectives “are pursuing all leads & these criminals will be brought to justice,” with the suspects taken into custody later in the day.
The incidents began around 4:30 a.m. when the suspects slashed a 45-year-old man across the cheek as their train pulled into the Union Square station, cops said.
The victim jumped off the train and called police, with the suspects remaining onboard to slash a 40-year-old man and punch a 41-year-old man, cops said.
The two victims exited the train at the Astor Place station, and the assailants continued.
The trio then demanded money from a 44-year-old subway rider, who was slashed in the back and robbed of his cellphone even after surrendering some cash, cops said. That victim left the train at the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall stop, as did the three suspects.
All four victims were taken to nearby hospitals for their injuries. Police were reviewing security video along the East Side train route to determine where the suspects first entered the subway system, cops said.
A fifth subway rider was attacked at a Bronx train station around 5 a.m., with the victim telling police he was jumped by three men, stabbed in the right eye and slashed in the neck, NBC 4 New York reported. It was not immediately clear if the Bronx attack was connected to the other four.
NYC Transit Interim President Sarah Feinberg and Transport Workers Union Local 100 President Tony Utano quickly blamed City Hall for the rash of violence.
“If (de Blasio) needed a wake-up call, this is it,” read a statement from Feinberg. “Enough is enough. The mayor is risking New York’s recovery every time he lets these incidents go by without meaningful action.”
On Wednesday, four people were attacked within three hours in the city’s subway stations, including a man slashed in the face at the Times Square station.
Utano, citing 15 serious subway assaults since Sunday, also pointed the finger at the mayor.
“The blood of these victim’s is on Mayor de Blasio’s hands,” said Utano. “These incidents ... are about one guy, who could take action but refuses to do so. And by this criminal inaction, Mayor de Blasio has created a crisis of confidence in our subway system.”
Overall serious crime is down 43% in the subway system so far this year, but felony assaults have jumped 25%, with 172 cases through Sunday compared with 137 by the same time last year, according to NYPD data.
Transit and union officials have made repeated pleas to de Blasio and Police Commissioner Dermot Shea for more police officers to be deployed into the transit system.
Feinberg noted that five of the eight Democratic candidates said they would put additional resources into transit to address crime in Thursday night’s mayoral debate on NY1.
Foye repeated demands Friday for “additional NYPD uniformed officers and mental health assistance” — but urged New Yorkers to keep riding the trains.
“The system is safe but not safe enough,” he said.
