Early Thursday morning, a 68-year-old MTA subway cleaner was violently assaulted at the Bergen Street subway station in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, in what authorities call the latest in a troubling trend of attacks on transit workers across New York City.
Just after midnight on May 30, an attack took place in varying degrees among the F and G subway lines’ Bergen Street station. The suspect approached the victim with a metal pipe and struck him, who was a longtime Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) employee doing routine platform cleaning, the MTA said. The suspect initially swung the pipe at the worker but missed, said the NYPD. Following this, he punched the victim in the stomach, whipping him to the ground before fleeing the scene.
Victim Hospitalized with Minor Injuries
After the attack, emergency responders brought the injured worker to NYU Langone Health-Cobble Hill for treatment. Later that morning, he was released with minor injuries. Suffolk County Police bomb squad investigators determined Wednesday that the paint was lye, similar to drain cleaner, but the chemicals involved do not appear to be hazardous, said Det. Lt. Kevin Fallon of the Suffolk County Police bomb squad.
Video surveillance of the station shows the suspect holding the weapon and moving toward the victim, said Weld County Sheriff John Cooke. On Friday, the NYPD released stills from the footage to the public and asked the people to contact the department’s Crime Stoppers Hotline if they had any information.
The suspect is still at large as of Saturday morning. NYPD is conducting a full investigation, with detectives going through surveillance videos and talking to witnesses on the case. The suspect has been described as male by officials, and more specific details as yet have not been released.
Not an Isolated Incident
That’s part of a worrying pattern. Two people were already attacked with metal pipes on MTA buses earlier in May in the Bronx, and a third incident left a Brooklyn bus operator injured with a wrench. Transit workers, though, have been raising alarms about an increase in violence against MTA personnel, and police don’t believe the incidents are connected.
Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100 condemned the assault and called for more police in subway stations in its statement. The union said ‘Our members deserve to work without fear. They demand protection and accountability.
Crime Trends Raise Concern
NYPD transit statistics indicate that while felon assaults during the same period are up year over year, 67 incidents in 2025 compared to 47 in 2024. Overall, subway crime is down month by month, but the recent increase in assaults has worried riders and MTA staff.
Experts have pointed to increased safety measures lately put in place by MTA, such as deploying more security cameras, increasing the frequency of police patrols, and having emergency alert systems, but say the enforcement and response times are inconsistent.
Community and Official Responses
Officials, including City Council members from Brooklyn representing the area, have denounced the incident. Residents of Boerum Hill and transit workers and passengers voiced concern, too. One commuter said, ‘This neighborhood is usually safe.’ “It’s scary to think someone would do this (to a city worker) just doing their job.”
The public is told it can help identify the attacker. Anyone with tips is asked to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish speakers.
A Call for Accountability
As the investigation continues, the MTA has reiterated its commitment to ensuring the safety of its workers. Officials stated they are cooperating fully with police and reviewing safety procedures for employees, particularly those working during overnight shifts.
With New York’s subway system vital to the city’s infrastructure, the incident is a stark reminder of the risks frontline workers face every day. Advocates are now calling for stronger legal protections, faster police responses, and mental health interventions to prevent further attacks on essential transit personnel.
