MBTA Transit Police are searching for an unidentified man accused of punching two riders without any provocation in less than a month — once on a Green Line platform in Medford and again on a city bus in Cambridge. Investigators say the attacks, nearly three weeks apart, appear to be the work of the same person, and they’re asking the public to help identify him before he strikes again.
The first incident happened around 5:45 p.m. on September 26, when the man allegedly punched a person at the Medford/Tufts Green Line station, according to Universal Hub. Nearly three weeks later, around 12:15 p.m. on October 18, police say the same man punched another rider on a Route 1 bus in Cambridge. Transit Police summed up the pattern bluntly, saying of the suspect that “he’s punching people without provocation,” per the same report.
Anyone with information is asked to call Transit Police detectives at 617-222-1050, and tips can be submitted anonymously, Universal Hub reports. No arrest or charge in connection with either punch has been reported.
A Pattern of Unprovoked Attacks on Transit
This isn’t the first time Transit Police have appealed for help tracking down someone accused of striking a rider out of nowhere. In September, investigators sought a man accused of punching a person over 60 in the face on a Red Line train at Shawmut, breaking the victim’s jaw in an attack described as unprovoked, according to Universal Hub. In August, police also sought a female suspect accused of slapping and kicking a rider over 60 without provocation on a bus near Broadway and Cushman Avenue in Revere, as reported by Boston.com…