Good Samaritan beaten and robbed aboard a train in Howard Beach after helping his passenger: NYPD – QNS

A good Samaritan on board an A train tried to stop a group of men from beating a fellow passenger and was himself attacked by the perpetrators.

Police from the 106th Precinct in Ozone Park and Transit District 23 reported that the 55-year-old man arrived on a northbound A train at the subway station shortly after 10 p.m. on the night of Saturday, August 17 Howard Beach JFK was driving when he tried to stop the four suspects from attacking the other straphanger.

The four men broke off their attack and charged at the good Samaritan, punching him repeatedly in the face. One of the perpetrators sprayed an unknown liquid into his face. Police said the attackers then forcibly stole personal items valued at about $2,480 from the victim.

The items stolen included electronic devices and clothing, according to an NYPD spokeswoman. The type of liquid sprayed on the victim has not yet been clarified.

The attackers exited the train station into Coleman Square and were last seen running down 159th Avenue. The victim suffered minor injuries in the attack and was transported to Mount Sinai West Hospital in Manhattan. The NYPD spokeswoman added that transferring the victim to a hospital in Manhattan rather than one in Queens was an “outpatient decision.”

The four attackers remain at large more than a month later. On Monday, the NYPD released surveillance images of two of the suspects. One suspect was described as black. He was wearing a white tank top, dark shorts and blue sneakers. The second suspect is said to have a medium complexion and was last seen wearing a black hoodie, gray jeans and white and black sneakers.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or in Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are treated confidentially.

As of Sept. 22, the 106th Precinct has reported 153 robberies so far in 2024, one fewer than the 154 reported at the same time last year, a decrease of 0.6%, according to the latest CompStat report . Attacks are increasing in the district. There have been 288 assaults reported so far this year, 25 more than the 263 reported at the same time in 2023, a 9.5% increase, according to CompStat. According to CompStat, the 106th District has reported 20 traffic violations so far in 2024, three more than the 17 reported at the same time last year, a 17.6% increase.