A disturbing incident unfolded on a Queens subway train this week when a woman and her young child were attacked with pepper spray after she refused to give her phone to a stranger, authorities confirmed.
The assault occurred on a northbound M train near Court Square Station late Wednesday evening. Witnesses said a man approached the woman, demanding her phone in an aggressive tone. When she refused, he pulled out a canister of pepper spray and discharged it in her face, also striking her child, who was sitting beside her.
Panic quickly spread through the train car as passengers tried to flee the fumes. “People started coughing and running toward the other end of the train,” said commuter Jasmine Lee, who was on board during the attack. “The woman was crying and trying to comfort her child. It was chaos.”
Emergency services arrived minutes later at the next station, where the victims received immediate medical attention. Both suffered eye irritation and breathing difficulties but were reported to be in stable condition.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) has launched an investigation and is reviewing surveillance footage to identify the suspect, who fled the scene before police arrived. Authorities described the attacker as a man in his 30s, wearing a dark jacket and cap.
This incident adds to growing concerns about safety on New York City’s subways, following a rise in reported assaults and harassment cases. Mayor Eric Adams has repeatedly pledged to increase police presence underground, emphasizing that “no New Yorker should fear riding public transit.”
Police have urged anyone with information about the suspect to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
