Man fighting for his life after stranger stabs him in NYC subway station during rush hour scuffle

A man was stabbed and left fighting for his life after scuffling with a stranger who had stepped on his shoes during their rush hour commute in Manhattan Friday morning, cops and sources said.

The victim, who is in his 30s, was riding a Brooklyn-bound No. 5 train when another commuter stepped on his feet around 8:40 a.m., according to authorities and sources.

A person was stabbed at the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall subway station on April 25, 2025. Michael Nagle
An NYPD officer on the scene of the stabbing. Michael Nagle

The two men then got into a fight ending with the shoe-stepper stabbing the victim once on the train — and then knifing him a second time on the platform when both men got off at the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall station downtown, according to the sources.

The victim was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, sources said.

The attacker is believed to be in his 30s and last seen wearing all black. NYPD
Paramedics respond to a subway stabbing in NYC.

Meanwhile, the attacker, also believed to be in his 30s and last seen wearing all black, fled the scene.

Sources say he initially got on the train at Grand Central–42nd Street.