A 49-year-old man attempted to rob a 40-year-old woman around 9:13 p.m. Tuesday on the N, R and W. line platform of the 49th Street station near Times Square.
However, according to police, another individual intervened in the attempted robbery and fired two shots inside the station.
The fact has worried users like Maribel Gallardo, who lives in Queens and uses the subway every day to travel to her job at a store in Manhattan.
“Well, it’s bad, because it can happen to anyone. Yes, at any time, you never know,” Gallardo said.
Fortunately, no one was injured.
However, what happened generated concern among users, who ask for more security and surveillance on the platforms.
David Grazier, public transportation user, tells us how he feels:
“I try as much as possible not to use it at night, but I work in the morning and I have to take the train and hearing this is kind of alarming,” Grazier said.
“There should be a little more surveillance, right? You always see that in all the stations. They are alone, it is very strange when you see an officer in the station,” added John Tejada.
Police have not yet confirmed whether other people were at the station at the time.
The 49-year-old man who attempted to carry out the robbery was arrested and faces attempted robbery charges.
According to the police, this subject is known by the department as a ‘swiper’, since he has a history of keeping the emergency doors open waiting for a tip, evading fares, something that generates losses of hundreds of millions of dollars to the MTA .
On the other hand, the individual who fired the shot fled the scene, but this Wednesday, the police confirmed that they have a possible suspect in custody, who is believed to be the person who fired the firearm at the subway station.
The authorities highlighted that this confrontation once again calls into question the need to address the problem of the presence of firearms in the city.
Some users say that, despite not feeling safe, they do not stop using the metro since it is one of the fastest and most economical transportation options at their disposal.
“You have to put fear aside, even if they say you can’t go out, because in a month the first one arrives and you don’t have to pay the rent,” said María Donicio.
