On February 1st, my sister, Juliana Russo, was violently attacked while waiting for the uptown 1 train at the World Trade Center station. She was doing something every New Yorker has done countless times, running to catch a train on a Sunday afternoon. When the doors closed, she stepped back from the platform, heard footsteps behind her, and assumed it was another commuter. Instead, a man punched her in the face without warning and ran off. This was a random and unprovoked attack in broad daylight at approximately 1:00 p.m. on one of the most heavily trafficked subway platforms in New York City.

This horrifying incident is not an isolated one. It is part of a disturbing trend of increasing crime and violence in New York City’s subway system. As New Yorkers, we rely on the efficiency and accessibility of the subway for our daily commutes. Yet the visible signs of disorder, including vandalism, panhandling, harassment, and violence, create an environment where more serious crimes are allowed to take root and feel normalized.

According to New York City Police Department statistics, subway crimes have increased by approximately 40 percent over the past year. These incidents range from theft and assault to more violent and life altering attacks. These numbers are not abstract. They represent real people, sisters, daughters, and parents, whose sense of safety has been shattered while simply trying to get from one place to another.

This issue demands particular attention to the safety of young women. Thousands of young women in New York City rely on the subway every day to get to work, school, internships, and essential services. They often travel alone and at varied hours, including weekends and daytime periods that should be safe by any reasonable standard. When violent and unpredictable behavior goes unchecked in stations and on platforms, young women are forced to alter their routines, avoid certain routes, or accept fear as a condition of mobility. Public transportation policy must account for this reality by prioritizing visible enforcement, station staffing, and proactive intervention in areas with high foot traffic. Ensuring the safety of young women is not a special interest concern. It is a fundamental measure of whether the city’s transit system is functioning as a safe and equitable public service.

We believe a multifaceted approach is essential to addressing this crisis. Increased police presence in subway stations and on platforms, particularly during peak and high traffic hours, can act as a powerful deterrent. Expanded and well monitored surveillance systems across stations and trains are also critical, both to discourage crime and to support swift accountability when incidents occur.

The responsibility to ensure the safety of subway riders falls on local decision makers, including the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and city officials. While compassion for homelessness and mental health crises is vital, compassion cannot come at the expense of public safety. Allowing visibly unstable individuals to remain untreated in the subway system fails them and endangers everyone else.

We cannot normalize violence in our subways. We cannot accept that riders, especially young women, should live with fear as part of their daily commute. We urge city leadership to act with urgency by allocating the resources, funding, and personnel necessary to restore safety and trust in New York City’s public transportation system.

No family should have to wonder whether their loved one will come home safely from a routine subway ride.