Following a series of violent episodes that rattled the community, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. stepped up to the plate to announce the indictment of two men for separate attacks that took place within the subway system in August. In a statement that emphasized the graveness of these assaults, Brandon Balfour, 18, and Carlos Rivera, 24, are now facing serious charges, including attempted murder and assault, according to a report by Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
While on a northbound 3 train, a 29-year-old woman, who is nonverbal, was singled out and attacked by Balfour on August 6. Despite trying to evade Balfour when she sensed danger, the woman was viciously stabbed with a knife almost a foot and a half in length, suffering multiple serious injuries that necessitated emergency, life-saving surgery. Only two days after the assault, Balfour’s arrest came swift at a Queens shelter, with the woman’s cellphone and the face mask worn during the assault being recovered by the authorities.
Rivera’s indictment stems from a separate but equally heinous attack, although details about his specific charges were more limited in the announcement. As cited by the Manhattan DA’s Office, “These horrifying acts of violence significantly injured two women, including one who needed life-saving surgery. Safety in our subways is paramount, and we will hold accountable those who bring weapons into our transit system and harm New Yorkers,” District Attorney Bragg conveyed, underscoring the imperative to secure the subway system which serves as lifeblood to the city’s mobility…