Fox News meteorologist beaten on NYC subway train
A Fox News weatherman who was on his way home from a bar early Sunday was assaulted by a group of teenagers on a New York City subway, police said.
Four teens beat Adam Klotz, 37, after he asked them to stop smoking marijuana and to stop harassing an elderly passenger, New York City police said.
Klotz suffered non-life-threatening head injuries and was taken to the hospital, police said. Klotz, who appeared on the air Monday with an obvious black eye, said that his abdomen is bruised and that he is having trouble moving his knee.
Two 15-year-old boys and a 17-year-old male were arrested, police said. They have been released to their guardians pending the outcome of an investigation into the incident, including their conduct toward the elderly passenger, police said.
The fourth teenager fled, police said.
Klotz said on Fox News that he spoke up after the teens lit an elderly man's hair on fire with a lighter they were also using to light a joint.
Police said the teens did not assault anyone else.
After he was first attacked, Klotz said, he tried to evade the group by going to another subway car. But the teens pursued him and continued the attack, he said.
"I want someone to be held responsible, but really what I want is some sort of change," Klotz said.
Klotz criticized Mayor Eric Adams, saying the city does not adequately address subway violence.
"Why is the weather guy on the train trying to stop crime in the middle of the night?" he said.
The public transportation system, which services millions of passengers a day, has faced increasing transit crimes and high-profileviolent attacks.
Adams said Monday morning that "we must make sure people feel safe" on the subway.
"The best way to do that is to have that visible presence of a police officer," he said at an unrelated news conference about economic development.
Adams and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul created the Subway Safety Plan last year to curb transit crime. The plan's latest iterations included an additional 10,000 hours of overtime police patrol at over 300 subway stations, treatment for homeless people with severe mental health illnesses and more subway cameras, the city government said in a news release .