A Train Conductor Assaulted at Beach 25th Street

By Katie McFadden

Police are searching for a man who punched an A train conductor so hard in the face, that it landed the victim in the hospital.

According to the NYPD, just after 1:30 a.m. on the morning of Thursday, January 15, officers from the 101st Precinct and Transit District 23 responded to a 911 call for an assault on a conductor. According to police, the conductor of the Manhattan-bound A train was pulling into the station at Beach 25th Street when he was randomly attacked through the cabin window by an unidentified perpetrator. After exchanging a few words, the suspect punched the conductor so hard in the face that he hit his head on the wall of the conductor cabin.

EMS transported the 37-year-old conductor to St. John’s Episcopal Hospital to be treated. He was listed in stable condition.

The NYPD is still searching for the suspect. He has medium complexion and was wearing a red shirt, a black hooded sweatshirt with graphic designs and blue jeans. He ran off after attacking the conductor.

Three days later, another conductor was punched in a random attack on a Manhattan-bound 7 train at Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue/74th Street. It is unclear if the incidents are related, but the recent attacks have been raising alarms with transit leaders.

Following the incident, NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said, “Transit employees simply doing their jobs should never be subject to such outrageous and unacceptable attacks. With our vast camera network, we are confident our law enforcement partners will find the person responsible who then must face justice for their reprehensible actions.”

By Friday, January 16, police released photos of the A train suspect, but his face is mostly covered by a hood.

John Chiarello, president of the Transport Workers Union Local 100, also released a statement on the “senseless and vicious attack,” saying, “They say overall crime numbers are down, but our members are getting attacked more often. We’re planning a campaign to educate our members that if they are in a dangerous situation to retreat and call the police. But that doesn’t give the Transit Authority a pass on their obligation to provide us with a safe workplace.”

The suspect is facing charges of felony assault. The 101st Precinct has seen an increase in such crime incidents recently, with 17 so far this year, according to NYPD stats.

A $3,500 reward is being offered for information that leads to the suspect’s arrest and indictment.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.