A 70-year-old retired postal worker walked out of a Brooklyn courtroom without posting bail early Sunday after being arraigned on felony charges that he slashed a woman across the face in a subway station.
Eric McCoy appeared before Judge Christopher Whitehair in Brooklyn Criminal Court at 1 a.m., court records show. He wore a gray beard and a hoodie as he faced one felony count of assault with intent to cause harm with a weapon, plus three misdemeanors including illegal weapons possession and harassment.
The arraignment came roughly 18 hours after the alleged attack at the Sheepshead Bay B and Q station. According to the NYPD and a criminal complaint, McCoy held a knife to a 68-year-old woman’s cheek and sneered, “Do you want more?” before cutting her face at an emergency-exit door.
McCoy pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The top charge against him carries a potential prison sentence of up to seven years. That count is bail-eligible, though it remains unclear what amount prosecutors may have requested. The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office did not respond to requests for comment Sunday.
Judge Whitehair released McCoy on his own recognizance with an order of protection shielding the victim. The suspect is due back in court in January.
The 9 a.m. Saturday assault unfolded hours before a separate fatal shooting in Midtown Manhattan’s Seventh Avenue and 53rd Street subway station, where a man was gunned down and his killer remains at large.
The Brooklyn slashing came amid a documented rise in transit violence. NYPD data through October 13 shows felony assault in the subway system climbed 12 percent this year compared to the same period in 2023, rising to 525 incidents from 470. Misdemeanor assault jumped 16 percent, from 1,120 to 1,304 crimes.
McCoy’s next court appearance is scheduled for January in Brooklyn.