Authorities in New York City arrested and charged a teenager after he allegedly stabbed and killed a 14-year-old boy on an Upper Manhattan train platform over the weekend.
The murder suspect, a 15-year-old boy whose identity is being withheld because he is a minor, is facing charges of murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
New York Police Department (NYPD) Transit Chief Jason Wilcox said at a news conference on July 10 that the suspect was discovered with injuries to his back and abdomen and taken into custody on July 9 at 173rd Street and Broadway.
“[The suspect] was brought to an area hospital to be treated for wounds to his left hip area,” Wilcox said. “The cause of those wounds, and his role in this incident, remain part of an ongoing investigation.”
The NYPD identified the alleged assailant using surveillance footage, the transit chief said.
Ethan Reyes, an up-and-coming rapper who recently moved with his family to a Yonkers home, has been identified as the boy who was fatally stabbed, The New York Post reported.
Police said the deadly incident happened at approximately 3 p.m. on the platform of the northbound 1 train at the 137th Street-City College station.
“Upon arrival, officers encountered a 14-year-old male bleeding from his stomach. An ambulance was called to the scene and the victim was transported to an area hospital,” Wilcox said, adding that shortly after 3:30 p.m., the boy was pronounced deceased.
According to a preliminary investigation, the stabbing was prompted after a fight began between the two teenagers, who were known to each other. The altercation escalated on the street and later descended into the subway station, where the suspect allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed the boy.
“We do not believe this was a random attack. It is believed that the individuals involved are known to each other, and at this time there are no other suspects being sought,” Wilcox said.
Police found a knife and broomstick at the scene. It wasn’t immediately clear what the dispute was about.
The latest deadly attack in America’s largest metropolitan transit system follows a string of violent crimes that happened in recent months, including instances of commuters being pushed onto subway tracks from station platforms.