A man was shot once in the chest and killed on a Midtown Manhattan subway platform Saturday, and the gunman fled on foot while riders scrambled for cover and police released person-of-interest photos.
Just after noon Saturday, an unidentified man was gunned down on the northbound E train platform at the 53rd Street and 7th Avenue station in Midtown Manhattan. The NYPD confirmed the victim was struck in the chest, rushed to a hospital in critical condition, and later died of his injuries.
No arrests have been made. The investigation remains open.
Police said an unidentified individual approached the victim on the platform, displayed a firearm, and fired, hitting him once. The shooter then fled northbound on foot along 7th Avenue.
Riders described sudden panic the moment the gunfire started.
Hassen Pinchback, visiting from Orlando, Florida, said the chaos hit as soon as the train doors opened.
"When the train doors opened, that’s when you heard pop pop pop,"
Pinchback said. He later called the rush of people a stampede.
"It was like a stampede,"
he told Fox News Digital. Pinchback also said a woman performed chest compressions on the victim before officers arrived and urged him to “Hang in there.”
Another rider, a woman from Washington state who gave her last name as Miller, was sitting inside a subway car with the doors open when she heard about five shots. She said her daughter stepped outside, and the shooter looked right at her before continuing to fire.
Miller’s daughter motioned to a conductor on another train. That conductor called 911.
Miller described her own reaction in plain terms.
"I just started praying. I’m a very strong Christian,"
she said. She added:
"Jesus saved us. 100%."
Later Saturday, NYPD Crime Stoppers released images of a person of interest. The photos show someone in a red hoodie and red pants, a black puffy vest, and a black face mask.
Police have not publicly named the victim or the person in the images. They have not said whether the person pictured has been firmly identified as the shooter.
Local outlet PIX11 reported the shooting grew out of an argument between the shooter and the victim. The NYPD has not issued a detailed public motive statement beyond the basic sequence of the attack.
In its release, the department described the incident in direct language:
"An unidentified individual approached an unidentified male on the northbound E train platform at the 53 Street/7 Avenue subway station in the confines of the Midtown North Precinct/Transit District 1, displayed a firearm and discharged it, striking the victim once in the chest. The individual fled the location on foot, traveling northbound on 7 Avenue."
NYPD Crime Stoppers asked the public for leads. Tips can go to 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), to the Spanish line at 1-888-57-PISTA (74782), online through Crime Stoppers, or through X at @NYPDTips.
A busy Midtown transfer point became a homicide scene in the middle of the day. Commuters and visitors hit the floor or ran. A bystander started CPR. A conductor called for help after a young woman flagged him down. The gunman was already moving north on 7th Avenue.
That is the reality riders face when a dispute on a platform ends with a chest wound and a body bound for the hospital. New Yorkers and tourists should not have to treat a Saturday subway stop like a danger zone while a masked shooter disappears into Midtown and police are left posting photos and hoping for a tip.
