A grand jury indicted a Manhattan man for allegedly stabbing a transit rider during a brutal assault inside a busy Harlem train station this summer, District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced.
Victor Solis, 58, is accused of stabbing a 56-year-old man inside the West 125th Street and Saint Nicholas Avenue subway station in July. He was charged on Sept. 3 in state Supreme Court with second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and two counts of second-degree assault.
“As alleged, Victor Solis brutally attacked a man who was just trying to make his way home after a day of hard work,” Bragg said in a statement. “This attack caused significant, life-threatening injuries that were thankfully nonfatal.”
According to court documents, on July 1, at approximately 4 p.m., the victim entered the Upper Manhattan station on his way home from work. While he was on the uptown platform, Solis approached him from behind and allegedly punched him in the back of the head.
After the bone-chilling blow, the victim immediately turned around, when Solis brandished a serrated knife and went on a bloody rampage — stabbing him multiple times throughout his body, including the torso, face, neck, and left shoulder, Bragg’s office said, adding that nearby witnesses intervened and were able to stop Solis from fleeing until help arrived.
Upon arrival, “just a few minutes later,” police officers arrested Solis and recovered a knife from his bag.
Meanwhile, according to the Daily News, EMS brought the victim to Mount Sinai Morningside in stable condition. It is unclear what may have led to the attack.
“Two guys got into it,” an MTA worker who witnessed the attack told the Daily News at the time of the incident. “He was unconscious. He was bleeding from his face, shoulder and body. Blood everywhere. It looked bad.”
The DA commended the Good Samaritans who broke up the assault and restrained Solis before police arrived.
“I wish the victim a full and swift recovery, and I am grateful to the New Yorkers whose selfless actions potentially saved this victim’s life and ensured an arrest was made,” Bragg said.
