Pepper Spray Incident Interrupts Morning Commute in Manhattan

Subway riders were left rattled this week after several violent crimes hit New York City’s underground. Service was shut down on several New York City public transit lines on Friday morning after a pepper spray incident at Union Square, according to local reports. Service resumed about an hour later.

One person was injured, and train service on the N, Q, R, W, and numbers 4, 5, and 6 was shut down temporarily in Manhattan, according to NYC Transit.

‌N‌‌/Q‌‌/R‌‌/W‌‌/4‌‌/5‌‌/6‌ trains are holding in stations in Manhattan in both directions because NYPD is conducting an investigation at ‌14 St-Union Sq‌. pic.twitter.com/T9dOKNn79V

— NYCT Subway (@NYCTSubway) October 7, 2022

According to an NYPD spokesperson, a dispute on an R train led someone to spray a canister of pepper spray on the platform of the 14th street - Union Square station. According to FDNY officials, only one person was taken to the hospital.

The injured person was a man in his 70s, and his condition wasn’t immediately clear.

“Following a short suspension of service on lines serving Union Square due to FDNY and NYPD response at that station, regular service has resumed. The cause of the incident leading to that response appears isolated," said MTA spokesperson Michael Cortez in a statement.

Police didn’t immediately say whether anyone had been arrested in connection with the incident, or if the suspect was targeting specific persons or groups.

The incident comes only hours after a 38-year-old man was fatally stabbed Thursday night in an “unprovoked attack” while disembarking a subway train in the Bronx, according to the NYPD.

Both investigations are ongoing.