A series of high-profile crimes in the New York City subway system prompted Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday to send National Guard members into the sprawling underground network.
Hochul is ordering a force of nearly 1,000 people, comprised of the National Guard, state police and MTA officers, to conduct bag checks at some of the busiest stations.
The effort, Hochul said, is aimed to “rid our subways of people who commit crimes and (to) protect all New Yorkers whether you’re a commuter or a transit worker.”
“No one heading to their job or to visit family or go to a doctor appointment should worry that the person sitting next to them possesses a deadly weapon,” she told reporters.
Several recent, well-publicized attacks have led to increasing anxiety on New York City subways.
This past Sunday, a 64-year-old man was checking his phone when he was kicked into the tracks at Penn Station before good Samaritans helped get him out of harm’s way.
A 27-year-old man on Friday was slashed aboard a northbound A train in Manhattan after the perpetrator allegedly made homophobic comments at him.
And on Thursday, Feb. 29, a subway conductor was slashed in the neck in Brooklyn, when he stuck his head out of a southbound C train at Rockaway Avenue station in Brooklyn.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
