A New York City subway passenger was slashed in the face earlier this month by an unknown assailant who was angry that he had kissed his transgender partner. The attack occurred on January 10 at around 7:50 p.m. on a southbound No. 6 train in Manhattan.
Police said the victim, 28, was kissing her partner when the suspect started yelling homophobic slurs. The verbal abuse quickly escalated into a physical confrontation. During the altercation, the suspect hit the victim with a sharp object, causing a deep laceration on the right side of his face, according to the New York CW affiliate. WPIX.
gay city news The report said violence broke out as the train entered the 23rd Street station. The suspect fled the scene immediately after the slashing. The victim remained on the train until the 14th Street Union Square Station, where he was met by paramedics and taken to Bellevue Hospital. He is expected to recover from his injury. His partner was not physically injured in the attack.
Despite police searches, the perpetrator remains at large. A detailed description of the suspect has not been released, and investigators have not yet identified a person of interest.
The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force is currently investigating the incident. The attack comes shortly after the NYPD reported a 38% decrease in sexual orientation-based bias incidents in 2025 compared to the previous year. Despite the decline, these crimes remain the second most common type of hate crime in the city, behind only anti-Semitic incidents, of which there were 330 reported last year.
The incident is very similar to an attack on the same subway line that occurred a few weeks ago. On Dec. 20, a 38-year-old passenger on southbound Route 6 was slashed behind his left ear after an argument. The attack occurred around 4:40 p.m. as the train was entering the 51st Street Lexington Avenue station. Like the January 10 attacker, this suspect also managed to escape, but has not been identified.
Anyone with information about either attack is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visit crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or text TIP577 to 274637 (CRIMES). Spanish-speaking callers should dial 1-888-57-PISTA.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
