Full Breakdown
70-Year-Old Retired Postal Worker Freed After Brooklyn Subway Slashing
By Drooid · · How we work
Incident and Arrest
Brooklyn police allege that 70-year-old Eric McCoy, a retired postal worker, placed a knife against the cheek of a 68-year-old woman at the emergency-exit door of the Sheepshead Bay B and Q station and asked, “Do you want more?” before cutting her face. The assault occurred roughly 18 hours before McCoy’s court appearance, according to the NYPD and the criminal complaint. He was charged with a felony count of assault with intent to cause harm with a weapon and three misdemeanors—illegal weapons possession and harassment among them. The top felony charge carries a potential prison term of up to seven years and is bail-eligible.
Court Proceedings and Release
McCoy entered a not-guilty plea before Brooklyn Criminal Court at 1 a.m. Judge Christopher Whitehair released him on his own recognizance and imposed an order of protection for the victim, setting a future court date in January. The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office declined to comment when approached for a statement. Police confirmed that McCoy remains at large.
Transit Assault Trends
NYPD data show that, as of mid-October, felony assaults in the city’s transit system have risen 12 percent to 525 incidents, up from 470 the previous year. Misdemeanor assaults have increased 16 percent, reaching 1,304 incidents compared with 1,120 a year earlier.
Broader Context
The subway attack occurred several hours before an unrelated shooting that left a man dead in Manhattan’s Seventh Avenue and 53rd Street station. Officials have highlighted the uptick in violent incidents on public transportation, underscoring concerns about passenger safety and the challenges of addressing such crimes in a densely populated urban transit network.