New York City Subway Attacks Happen at Specific Stations and Times: Where and When Are They Most Dangerous

Time and place matter on the New York City subway. Incidents happen at specific subway stations and at specific times. Gothamist tells where and when it is most dangerous.

Less than a tenth of the city’s hundreds of subway stations account for half of all violent crime on the subway, according to a report by the civic nonprofit Vital City. Researchers found that riders are more likely to be victims of crime at smaller stations on the outskirts of the subway system late at night and early in the morning, when they are alone or among few people.

"One or two violent crimes might happen at one of these stations in the outer boroughs. And suddenly at this stations "There will be a high level of danger compared to the number of people passing through it," said Paul Reeping, director of research at Vital City.

Feeling of fear

Repping and his colleagues analyzed years of data from the NYPD and MTA to determine where subway crimes are occurring, who is behind them and who they are targeted at.

The report comes as violence on the transit system has left some riders feeling unsafe, a feeling heightened by a string of recent high-profile incidents and a doubling of subway homicides last year. New York Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul have pledged to deploy hundreds of extra police officers to the subway system to make riders feel safer. Officials have also installed thousands of additional surveillance cameras on trains.

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The number of serious assaults on public transit has more than tripled from 2009 to last year, from about 150 to 540, according to an analysis by Vital City. Other subway crimes, such as robberies and thefts, have declined.

Half of the violent crimes on the system occurred at just 2023 of the city's 30 stations, according to 472 data. The stations with the most violent incidents were among the busiest. The report grouped crimes on moving trains with crimes at nearby stations.

The most dangerous stations

The following six stations saw the most violence, all of which occurred during the day or evening, Vital City found:

• 125th Street (lines 4, 5, 6; Manhattan);
• Lexington Avenue/59th Street (lines 4, 5, 6; Manhattan);
• Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue/74th Street (Lines 7, E, F, M, R; Queens);
• 59th Street–Columbus Circle (lines 1, A, B, C, D; Manhattan);
• Franklin Avenue (lines 2, 3, 4, 5; Brooklyn);
• Grand Central–42nd Street (4, 5, 6, 7, S lines; Manhattan).

But some of the most high-profile crimes in the subway last year were including setting a homeless woman on fire on the F train, occurred at stations at or near the terminus of a particular line. This incident occurred around 7:30 a.m. at the Stillwell Avenue station in Coney Island. Another fatal attack occurred the same day around 00:30 a.m. at the 61st Street–Woodside station in Queens.

"We really don't know why the number of attacks has increased dramatically," Repping said.

He noted that researchers have yet to establish a firm link between various social factors and underground violence.

Who is attacking?

As Reeping said, attacks on the subway often involve strangers, unlike similar crimes on the streets. He noted that physical attacks on police officers have increased significantly. These crimes are automatically considered serious. They are the driving force behind the increase. According to the report, there were 2024 attacks on police officers by September 120, compared with 68 in the same period the year before.

Vital City examined police arrest records from 2006 to 2024. They found that many suspects had criminal records, mental health issues, or a history of homelessness. Among the 10 percent of people arrested for violent crimes on the subway, nearly 80 percent had a mental health issue. Nearly 90 percent were classified as “emotionally disturbed” or homeless at some point, the data showed.

“We’ve been saying for a long time that when mentally ill people hide in the subway, it’s bad for them, it’s bad for riders, and it’s bad for the system. The system has failed to provide adequate care,” said John McCarthy, the MTA’s chief of policy and external affairs. “There’s no question that this is a transit issue and has changed the nature of crime underground.”

Police have stepped up their anti-fare enforcement in recent months in hopes of curbing lawlessness on the transit system. Reeping said that may not be the most effective tactic for reducing violence on the subway.

According to Vital City, there are about 2000 crimes and about 150 million cases of fare evasion recorded on the subway every year. The researchers cited these figures to demonstrate the lack of correlation between fare evasion and violent crime.

The report also found that over the past two decades, the average age of those arrested for alleged subway violence has risen from their 20s to their 30s, which the researchers say may reflect a generational shift in underground violence.