Deadly subway stabbing: 14-year-old boy murdered at Hamilton Heights station

A deadly subway stabbing in Hamilton Heights on Saturday afternoon left a 14-year-old boy dead.

Police said the homicide happened at about 3:01 p.m. on July 9 at the 137th Street-City College station on the 1 line. 

Officers from the 30th Precinct and NYPD Transit District 3, in responding to reports about a crime in progress, found the victim stabbed in the abdomen on the northbound platform.

EMS rushed the child to Mount Sinai-St. Luke’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police have withheld his identity, pending family notification.

According to NYPD Transit Chief Jason Wilcox, investigators believe the tragic incident was not random but instead two individuals who were known to one another engaging in a fight that turned deadly. Police recovered both a knife and a broomstick from the scene.

“MTA camera footage provided clear images of individuals who were present at the time of the incident. These images were immediately provided to investigators,” Wilcox said.

Wilcox noted that officers from Transit District 3 used the stills from the surveillance to track one of the males depicted to West 173^rd Street and Broadway where he was taken into custody.

“He was bleeding from his back and abdomen and brought to an area hospital to be treated for wounds for his left hip area. The cause of those wounds and his role in this incident remains part of an ongoing investigation,” Wilcox added, stating that no other suspects are being sought.  

A motive for the fight is still under investigation and police say they welcome assistance from the public. 

“We thank NYPD detectives, with whom we cooperated, for the rapid arrest of a suspect. That he and the victim are said to have known each other further underscores the senseless nature of this tragic incident,” said MTA New York City Transit President Richard Davey in a statement. 

Anyone with information regarding the homicide can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.