A man was fatally shot on a Midtown Manhattan subway platform Saturday afternoon after a dispute turned deadly, leaving commuters scrambling and police hunting for an armed suspect.
The gunfire rang out at 12:21 p.m. Inside the 7th Avenue station at 53rd Street, a busy stop in tourist-filled Midtown West, the NYPD said. The victim, whose identity has not been released, was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in cardiac arrest after first responders administered CPR on the platform, sources said. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The victim had been arguing with two other individuals on the northbound platform when the shooting occurred, according to NYPD Deputy Chief Keith Shine. Police emphasized that the killing was not a random attack.
“Nothing random between these two individuals,” an NYPD spokesperson said at the scene.
An E train had just pulled up and opened its doors when the shots were fired. Mauricio Marroquin, a breakfast attendant heading home to Queens after his morning shift, told The Post he heard two gunshots roughly eight seconds apart.
“Everybody was running,” Marroquin said.
“I seen a gentleman laying right in front,” he continued. “He was dressed in a blazer, looked like he was coming from work or something, bro. Going to work or coming from work. It was two shots, man. He only got hit with one, like, that’s weird. And they were eight seconds apart, man. That’s weird.”
Marroquin described several bystanders rushing to aid the wounded man. One began chest compressions until EMS arrived, while another held the victim’s hand and tried to keep him conscious.
“Another gentleman was just talking to him, like, ‘Hey, man, wake up, wake up, stay up, stay up, stay up,'” Marroquin said.
Harrowing video obtained by The Post shows first responders frantically performing chest compressions on the victim as he lay on the crowded platform.
Police have not recovered a weapon, and the NYPD warned that the suspect remains at large and is considered armed and dangerous. Security footage shows the suspect was last seen wearing a red tracksuit, black puffer vest and what appeared to be a black balaclava. It remains unclear whether the gunman knew the victim personally.
The killing marks the seventh murder in the New York City transit system this year, a 75% increase compared to the same period last year, when there were four, according to data through Sunday.
Michael Kemper, the MTA’s Chief Security Officer, issued a statement addressing the violence.
“Guns have no place in transit, which is why we’ve strongly supported New York State’s legal fight to make sure it’s illegal to carry them in the subway system,” Kemper said.
He added that the MTA has been coordinating with the NYPD and that the perpetrators “should face maximum consequences from the justice system.”
Some commuters expressed skepticism about safety promises. Leslie, 50, a housekeeper from the Bronx and lifelong New Yorker, voiced doubts about whether officials are taking meaningful action.
“To be honest I’m not really sure how effective it’s been. I hear a lot of talk. So, I don’t know if there is actual action behind it,” she said.
“I don’t feel safe in the city, and I absolutely don’t feel safe on the train at all. Not even a little bit.”
Priscilla Rodriguez, 35, a data analyst from Rhode Island who was in Midtown visiting her sister, questioned what further security measures might be necessary.
“Are they going to have to, like, put in metal detectors in the subway now?” Rodriguez said.
“I just think it’s sad people can’t live their lives, their daily lives, go on about their business without being unsafe.”
Police continue searching for the suspect as the investigation remains ongoing.