By: TJVNews.com

As New York City continues to grapple with the aftermath of pandemic-era upheaval and controversial policy shifts, assaults in the subway system are surging, alarming commuters and intensifying public concern about safety in the transit network, according to the information provided in an exclusive report that appeared on Saturday in The New York Post.

Data released by the NYPD shows that felony assaults underground have climbed 9% so far this year, rising from 168 to 183 compared to the same period last year. Even more troubling, assaults are up a staggering 55% compared to 2019 levels, signaling that violent incidents are not merely a post-pandemic blip but part of a deeper, troubling trend.

Adding to the grim figures, the NYPD revealed that about 30% of felony assaults—54 incidents—have been committed against police officers themselves, underscoring the pervasive danger not only for civilians but for law enforcement trying to keep the system safe.

The spike in assaults comes against the backdrop of Governor Kathy Hochul’s controversial congestion pricing plan, a move many critics blame for pushing more commuters into the already overburdened subway system.

As The New York Post reported, congestion pricing imposes a $9 fee for vehicles entering Manhattan’s core business districts. For many who previously chose to drive, the new toll has forced them onto public transit—often with unsettling consequences.

“This should not be a Hobson’s choice, but that is what Gov. Hochul has made it,” said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island) in comments to The New York Post. “People either need to cough up thousands of dollars a year or risk their safety.”

Tragically, those fears materialized in brutal fashion last Friday morning, when a 38-year-old man was stabbed to death during a confrontation with another rider on a downtown No. 5 train at the Brooklyn Bridge–City Hall station, The New York Post reported.

The incident shook many commuters who had reluctantly traded in their car keys for MetroCards due to the new congestion fees.

“I think it’s gonna keep getting worse with more people down here,” said G.J. Emajli Kraku, a plumber from Bellmore, Long Island, speaking to The New York Post. “I used to drive into the city every day, but it was going to cost 120 bucks to take the car in.”

The city’s subway system has also become, in the words of City Council Minority Leader Joann Ariola (R-Queens), “the city’s de facto mental institution and homeless shelter—except without the doctors, beds, or security.”

Speaking to The New York Post, Ariola criticized the forced migration of more commuters underground:  “Forcing more New Yorkers underground with this ridiculous congestion pricing scheme is going to put more people into contact with the dangerously unwell. That’s a recipe for disaster.”

City officials, keenly aware of the rising anxiety, have stepped up efforts to reassure the public. As the report in The New York Post noted, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch has ramped up the deployment of officers underground, even directing officers to patrol subway trains themselves, a measure not seen at this scale in years.

Additionally, the NYPD has intensified enforcement of quality-of-life violations, targeting issues like fare evasion, loitering, and bench encampments, all aimed at restoring a sense of order to the system.

Mayor Eric Adams has also launched the Partnership Assistance for Transit Homelessness (PATH) program, which teams police officers with social workers to help connect the homeless population to services.

While some commuters have noticed the increased presence of officers, the fear remains palpable.

“I have noticed that they’re putting police on the subways, and that’s really helpful because I come down here at 5 a.m. and it’s really desolate,” said Annemarie Lawson, a 64-year-old nurse from Chelsea who commutes to Mount Eden in the Bronx, in an interview with The New York Post.

Lawson noted a particularly disturbing trend: “People carry knives all the time, it’s really hard to stop them, and that’s really scary.”

Other commuters shared similar experiences with The New York Post.

LaShawn Russell, a 34-year-old home health care worker from Rahway, New Jersey, said he constantly has to watch his surroundings: “I see crazy s–t in the subway every time I take it.”

Alisha, an 18-year-old student commuting from Uniondale, Long Island, to John Jay College, lamented that subway violence was becoming normalized: “It’s started to become more and more often, and I think we’re just getting used to it—but that’s not right. We shouldn’t be getting used to having threats on the subway all the time.”

In response to inquiries from The New York Post, the MTA directed questions to the NYPD, which emphasized that overall subway crime in the first quarter of 2024 had actually decreased, reaching the second-lowest level in 27 years.

Major crimes dropped 18%, from 568 incidents down to 465, according to NYPD statistics.

Still, as The New York Post report pointed out, while the overall crime rate may have improved on paper, the spike in felony assaults, particularly high-profile violent incidents, continues to fuel a perception among commuters that the subways are becoming more dangerous, not less.

As captured in vivid detail in The New York Post report, the New York City subway system today stands at a critical crossroads: rising ridership, fueled by congestion pricing policies, is colliding with persistent safety fears and spotlight-grabbing violent crimes.

If the city is to preserve the subway as a viable, trusted means of transportation, it must confront the realities of safety, not just through statistics but through visible action that addresses the concerns of the millions who rely on the system daily.