On-duty MTA worker sprayed after waking woman on Bronx subway train: NYPD

THE BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11) – An MTA worker was sprayed with pepper spray after asking a woman to wake up on a stopped No. 1 subway train in the Bronx early Monday, according to police sources.

The 53-year-old cleaner was working on the train at the Van Cortlandt Park-242nd Street subway station in Kingsbridge around 4:27 a.m. when she asked the sleeping suspect to get off, police said. That’s when the suspect sprayed the employee in the face, according to authorities.

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The victim was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital. The suspect fled the scene on foot, according to authorities.

NYC Transit President Richard Davey said authorities have video of the suspect.

“Now we have a car cleaner who asks someone to move at the end of the line so a train can be swept and made nicer for riders—and she gets pepper-sprayed? That’s beyond ridiculous,” Davey said in a statement. “We’ve got video of the perpetrator, the NYPD will lock that criminal up, and prosecutors should be clear in delivering justice that targeting transit workers is unacceptable and results in consequences.”

A similar attack happened on a stopped subway train in Queens last Monday. An MTA employee was punched in the face after waking a sleeping man and asking him to get off the train, according to authorities.

The suspect in that incident was arrested without incident, police said.

MTA workers have called for increased safety measures in subways following several attacks on employees. Gov. Kathy Hochul has implemented a new safety plan, which includes more random bag checks and the National Guard joining the NYPD in subway stations.

Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.

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