A New York City commuter was stabbed while riding on the subway earlier this week, marking the latest instance of random violence in public transit plaguing riders throughout the country. 

Roberto Gaspar, 25, was checking his phone when a man approached him from behind while riding a No. 7 train at the 111th Street station in Queens on Sunday night, the New York Post reported. 

The unknown attacker allegedly “stabbed him multiple times in the back with an unknown sharp object,” according to the NYPD. 

Zarutska was fatally stabbed in the throat three times with a folding knife during what police describe as a random attack on Aug. 22, 2025. (NewsNation via Charlotte Area Transit System | GoFundMe)

The incident comes just weeks after Iryna Zarutska, 23, was stabbed to death while riding a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, sparking renewed fear regarding the safety of public transit throughout the country. 

Zarutksa, who fled Ukraine to escape the war, was on her way home from working at a local pizzeria when she was allegedly approached by Decarlos Dejaun Brown Jr. and fatally stabbed in the neck. Last week, Brown was formally charged with alleged first-degree murder in the death of Zarutksa. 

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).