Dozens of members of Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100 gathered outside a Brooklyn criminal court on Monday, demonstrating solidarity and demanding justice after an assault on a train operator left him hospitalized last year. The rally, which brought in groups of transit workers from around the boroughs, focused on growing concerns over employee safety within NYC Transit.
Inside Kings County Supreme Court, the suspect facing charges, 27-year-old Jonathan Davalos, on Aug. 25 considered a plea deal of 15 years.
The horrifying attack occurred on Oct. 8 last year, when Davalos allegedly stabbed 31-year MTA veteran Myran Pollack at the Crown Heights-Utica Avenue station on the 4 line in Brooklyn following a verbal dispute about the perp refusing to leave the train, according to police reports.
EMS rushed Pollack, who was stabbed in the leg and torso, to Kings County Hospital where he received surgery and was in critical condition the following day, law enforcement sources said in previous reports.
Following the incident, Davalos was booked on charges of second-degree attempted murder, first- and second-degree assault, and menacing.
Davalos’ court appearance prompted the union’s assemblage outside the Downtown Brooklyn criminal court. TWU Local 100 President John Chiarello addressed the members — as well as supporters in attendance — by zeroing in on the safety risks faced by transit workers.
“Every single title that I represent, station agents, cleaners, anyone who interfaces with the public is in danger of being attacked,” Chiarello said. “And they are random attacks. Mostly they’re recidivist criminals who go around the subway system. I don’t know if they’re doing it just to go back to jail or if they have mental issues, but whatever the issue is, there’s absolutely no reason they should be attacking my members. It’s totally unprovoked.”
He called on city and MTA officials to infuse more law enforcement into the transit system.
“We’re calling on the mayor and the NYPD to continue the surge,” Chiarello said. “And also [MTA chair and CEO] Janno Lieber, who has the MTA police at his disposal. And he insists not to surge them. He is not using his resources, in our view, as best as he can.”
MTA law enforcement is based at stations connected to the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North commuter rails, an agency spokesperson said.
“NYPD transit bureau is responsible for law enforcement and patrol on the subways,” the spokesperson said. “MTA police department officers are stationed at major station hubs and do patrol at stations that are interconnected with the LIRR and Metro-North. While the MTA, we work hand-in-hand with the NYPD transit bureau priorities to keep subways safe, we don’t overstep that jurisdiction of the NYPD.”
The outcome of Davalos’ court appearance was not immediately available, but TWU Local 100 reps said they will continue monitoring the case as it continues and advocating for the fullest extent of the law to be applied.
“I’m pushing for a maximum sentence,” Chiarello said. “The district attorneys, the judges need to send a message that this cannot be tolerated.”
