The suspect seconds before he attacked a 44-year-old man in the head with a hammer at the Union Square station on Aug. 21, 2021.
Photo courtesy of NYPD
Transit cops arrested a Brooklyn man who allegedly attacked a commuter with a hammer at the Union Square station in the East Village on Saturday night.
Law enforcement sources said the perpetrator — identified as Jamar Newton, 41, of Porter Avenue in Brooklyn — got into an argument with the 44-year-old man on the northbound platform along the N/R line at about 9:08 p.m. on Aug. 21.
Things turned violent, police reported, when the perpetrator pulled out a hammer and struck the victim in the back of the head. The blow caused the victim to fall onto the subway tracks.
After the attack, authorities said, Newton allegedly fled the scene in an unknown direction.
Officers from the 13th Precinct and NYPD Transit District 4 responded to the incident. The victim was pulled from the tracks and rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.
As shown in the video, the male suspect wore a white cap, a black t-shirt with the words “I am Black history” written on the front, black shorts and black-and-white sneakers. He was also pictured carrying a blue backpack.
Newton was arrested Sunday night, Aug. 22, and charged with assault, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon.
Ex-Brit turned Manhattan resident since 2008.