This column originally appeared in On The Way, a weekly newsletter covering everything you need to know about NYC-area transportation.
Sign up to get the full version, which includes answers to reader questions, trivia, service changes and more, in your inbox every Thursday.
Blood on the tracks
More people have been murdered in New York City’s subways since the start of 2020 than in the preceding 15 years — a grim statistic driven by an alarming start to the year in the mass transit system.
The NYPD has recorded 32 murders in subway trains and stations since the start of 2020, which includes three fatal shootings over the last six weeks. There were 31 murders recorded in the system from 2005 to 2019, according to NYPD data.
MTA Chair Janno Lieber emphasized that crime on the subways is rare at an MTA board meeting on Wednesday.
“On average, last year, we had six felony crimes a day in a ridership of 4 million,” Lieber said. “I’m not going to argue about the statistics. I’m just saying that we need to push back on both the reality and the perception of crime.”
But gun violence on mass transit exacts a lasting toll that can’t be fully captured in statistics. Just ask Fitim Gjeloshi, who helped save dozens of passengers on a northbound Brooklyn N train on April 12, 2022 when Frank James set off a smoke bomb and fired 32 shots from his Glock 17 during morning rush hour.
Ten people were wounded as terrified riders rushed toward the opposite end of the car. Gjeloshi busted open a locked train car door, allowing commuters to flee into an adjoining car.
Miraculously, no one died.
And although Gjeloshi, 21, is a subway hero, he’s now terrified to ride the trains.
In an interview with Gothamist, Gjeloshi recalled that James shot at him four times. Three of the bullets missed, but one grazed his pants. Gjeloshi said he still suffers from PTSD and rarely leaves his house.
“I get scared to ride the train. I never ride the train,” said Gjeloshi. “When you see a person…
Read the full article here