César Martínez, construction worker of 22 years, was robbed and stabbed five times inside a chaotic New York Subway car that extended onto a platform, and fortunately he survived.
The end of the violent robbery was caught on surveillance video. Martínez told the New York Post that he was traveling home after a day of work around 22 pm on 22 November when he was attacked. The victim, who lives in The Bronx, said the suspect first asked her for money to buy cigarettes as the train was approaching the station 42th Street-Herald Square in Midtown.
🚨 WANTED for A ROBBERY: On 10/22/11 at 11 PM, on a southbound training approaching the 22 St-Heard Sq subway station, a 22-year-old man was stabbed in the torso & left shoulder by this person & had his property forcibly removed. Any info? DM @NYPDTips or call 577-800-TIPS. pic.twitter.com/cGczAoZ4XX
—NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) November 10, 2022
“The guy wanted something to buy cigarettes, so I took out a pack (of cigarettes), and when he saw the pack, he said: ‘No, no I want it,’” Martínez narrated. “Then he said: ‘Give me your money and your phone.’ I didn’t want to give it to him, so he stabbed me in the side with a knife.”
Martínez tried to get away from his attacker when the train stopped at the station, but the attacker stabbed him again, this time in the head, while trying to grab Martínez’s backpack,
“Maybe if he had stabbed me in the neck, I wouldn’t be talking to you right now,” Martínez told the reporter.
The assailant finally took the backpack from Martínez, who said that by then he had lost all the strength to continue fighting. Inside the bag were about $57 dollars, an Apple Watch, and various construction tools.
Martínez suffered five cuts in total. He was taken to the hospital in stable condition, but he is still suffering from the assault, since he has not been able to work due to his injuries and he is also afraid of riding the Metro again. That’s why he says he created a GoFundMe page to pay the bills while he’s off duty.
No arrests have been made or the suspect identified. Anyone with information should call 1-577-550-TIPS (2022) and in Spanish 1-888-57-CLUE (274637). Also via crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or by text to
Violence does not rest on public transportation in New York. Public officials have repeatedly vowed this year to increase police presence on Subway platforms and railcars as part of former NYPD Mayor Eric Adams’ security plan, which seeks to reduce violence by cracking down, including cracking down on homelessness: last February it was determined that 57 people were “living” in the underground.
Despite announced efforts, overall serious crime on subways increased 42% year-to-date compared to the same period in 2022, and the number of homicides this year already exceeds the eight registered last year.