Attacker pepper sprayed after stabbing man on subway

Attacker pepper sprayed in subway

An attacker had the tables turned on him when a woman pepper sprayed him in a NYC subway train.

NEW YORK – It was another day, and another attack inside New York City’s mass transit system.

The latest incident happened late Wednesday night as a 26-year-old man and a woman, believed to be his girlfriend, were riding an uptown #2 subway train.

The NYPD says that as the train pulled into the 72nd Street Station on the Upper West Side, a man confronted the couple. The men exchanged words. The suspect then pulled out a small kitchen knife and stabbed the victim in the hand and leg.

And then the tables turned.

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The woman sprayed the stabber with pepper spray before he took off onto an uptown 1 train across the platform.

He remains at large. Police only describe him as a man in his 40s or 50s. The stabbing victim was taken to a hospital in stable condition.

Transit crime remains a stubborn problem. It is up 41.4% this year, according to New York City Police statistics. The crime is up despite weekday subway ridership continuing to hover around only 60% of pre-pandemic levels.