Good Samaritan speaks out after interrupting Union Square subway slashing

Good Samaritan interrupts stabbing on the subway

Subway rider Sean Conaboy is being hailed as a hero after he bravely interrupted a stabbing on the subway, but he and other commuters and officials are speaking out about the rise in crime on the subway.

NEW YORK - Subway rider Sean Conaboy is being praised for bravely interrupting a stabbing on a subway platform at the Union Square Station on Wednesday night.

According to authorities, A 54-year-old woman waiting for the subway at the station when she was slashed multiple times by a man who approached her from behind.

The horrifying incident occurred at about 10:10 p.m. Wednesday. The woman was slashed with a knife in the left shoulder, left collarbone area, and upper chest. She suffered deep lacerations, added police.

Conaboy saw what was happening and sprinted down the platform and tackled the suspect. He was able to hold the man until cops arrived.

"There was no choice, it had to be done, this woman was being assaulted," Conaboy told FOX 5 NY. "From the size of the knife that I saw, this is an attempt to take her life, this is attempted murder."

The woman was taken to Bellevue Hospital. She was expected to recover.

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The suspect was identified as Joshua Nazario, 22, of 485 Cortlandt Avenue in the Bronx. He was charged with four counts of felonious assault. The knife was recovered.

"This unprovoked attack is both senseless and deeply disturbing," NYC Transit Interim President Sarah Feinberg said. "We are deeply grateful for the generous acts of each of the Good Samaritans who jumped to this victim's aid last night, at significant risk to themselves."

The attack was one of a string of violent incidents around the city Wednesday evening. Just hours later, police responded to another slashing at the Fulton Street subway station. At about 6 a.m., two men were having a dispute on the no. 4 train platform when one of them slashed the other in the left arm and left side. The victim was expected to recover, said police.

The suspect was described by police as a black male wearing a black and blue checkered shirt with a black face mask.

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250 more cops to subways

In an about face, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday that he will allow more police in the subway system.

In an about-face earlier this week, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that he would allow more police into the subway system, a promise that many subway riders, including Conaboy, hope de Blasio follows through on.

"It's beyond time that politicians realize that this is not an acceptable way to have a functioning city," Conaboy said.

An additional 250 police officers were deployed into the system in addition to the 3,000 NYPD officers already assigned to the subways.

This comes after mounting pressure from the MTA and public over a rash of violent crimes in the subways as the city emerges from the coronavirus pandemic.