Three individuals were slashed, and another was pepper-sprayed and bitten in incidents overnight in the Times Square area, both in the subway and on the street, as per authorities.
During the most recent attack, a 26-year-old man was slashed in the right arm in what seems to be an unprovoked assault on the No. 7 train platform at the Times Square subway station around 3:45 a.m., according to police.
The victim alleged that the suspect had confronted him before, and when confronted again, the stranger retaliated by stabbing him, sources revealed.
The injured man showed authorities a photo of his attacker, leading to the arrest of the suspect, identified as Michael Hernandez, 25, of Brooklyn.
Hernandez was charged with second-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, according to law enforcement.
Police discovered a switchblade in the suspect’s shorts pocket, as per sources.
In a separate incident around 1 a.m., Sara Flores, 19, informed Jennifer Tompkins, 30, a stranger, that a group had attacked her while walking through Bryant Park. Tompkins warned Flores to stay away, threatening to pepper-spray her, but a physical altercation ensued, with Tompkins pepper-spraying and biting Flores, and Flores stabbing Tompkins in the head and ribs.
Both women were charged with assault and menacing in the second degree, authorities stated.
Flores is from the Bronx, and Tompkins is from Queens.
The first assault occurred around 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday when a 31-year-old man was slashed in the stomach after an argument with another man on the southbound A, C, and E platform in Times Square.
The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital and was reported to be in stable condition by the police.
The details of the altercation were unclear, and no arrests have been made as of Wednesday.
These incidents occurred shortly after Mayor Eric Adams highlighted the thriving nature of Times Square.
“Any time you don’t believe the city’s back, just go hit Times Square and you see just the people walking, just enjoying being in our city,” Mayor Adams stated during a briefing.
Felony assaults have increased by approximately 13% this year in the Midtown South Precinct, which encompasses Times Square.
A total of 276 felony assaults were reported from the beginning of the year through Sunday, compared to 244 during the same period in 2023, according to the latest data.
However, overall felony crime in the precinct has decreased this year, with 1,766 incidents reported compared to 2,022 last year.
