14-year-old boy stabbed to death in NYC subway in 'senseless act of violence'

A 14-year-old boy was stabbed to death Saturday in the middle of the day on a New York City subway platform.

According to CBS New York, the boy was reportedly stabbed by a group of mostly teenage girls "trying to rob" the 14-year-old during an altercation. The altercation allegedly started on the street above and continued onto the 137th Street - City College subway platform in Hamilton Heights.

Neighbors are calling the incident a "senseless act of violence" and it was the third in a series of subway stabbings this week. On Tuesday, a 55 year old man was punched and stabbed at Brooklyn's Jay Street-Metrotech station and a Queens rider was slashed during rush hour the same day.

Mayor Eric Adams' NYC has faced a surge in violent crime since he took office. Fifty-two people were shot over the city's Fourth of July weekend and there has been a marked increase in subway crime.

The Daily Mail reports that a NYPD spokesperson said officers were notified about a fight in progress on Saturday and arrived at the 137th Street station around 3pm, to find the 14-year-old boy on the northbound platform bleeding from a stab wound to his stomach.

The boy was pronounced dead on arrival at Mount Sinai Morningside St. Luke's hospital but a witness claims the 14-year-old was already dead at the scene. "When they were bringing him up, he was dead," the unidentified witness said, "His head tilted back, his eyes were rolled back to the white, and purple, his lips were purple, purple. He was dead."

The same witness identified the suspects according to CBS, "There were girls. There were three little girls. There was one with the green that I, that's one that did the stabbing, and there were two young kids, maybe like 13 or 14, too. They wanted to take his phone."

A knife and broomstick used in the fight were recovered from the scene but no female suspects have been arrested. According to the New York Daily News another suspect, a young man, was identified using MTA camera footage.

NYPD Transit Chief Jason Wilcox said police found one suspected attacker, who was bleeding from the back and abdomen, taken to an area hospital, and arrested.

Wilcox said that authorities believe the victim and his attacker knew each other and while "The motive for this incident is still under investigation. We do not believe this is a random attack."

A 15-year-old friend of the victim told The New York Post, "It's devastating" and "This never should've happened. It's sad. The kid was growing up and had so much to look forward to."

Mayor Eric Adams was at a NYC public school event and said of the stabbing, "hearing about the stabbing really highlights why we need the lights on in schools like this so our children can have a safe space."