3 women slashed by assailant within 20 minutes in NYC subway: police

MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) -- An assailant slashed three women within a 20-minute span in the New York City subway Sunday, police said.

The first woman was slashed at the 86th Street-Lexington Avenue subway station on Manhattan's Upper East Side around 4:15 p.m., according to the NYPD. The assailant approached a 19-year-old woman from behind as she was walking up the the platform stairs to the mezzanine and slashed her in the right leg, police said.

Moments later, the assailant allegedly slashed a 48-year-old woman in the right leg as she stood on the southbound platform at the 86th Street-Lexington Avenue station. Both victims received treatment at a hospital for their injuries.

The suspect fled the Upper East Side subway station on a southbound No. 4 train. Just under 20 minutes later, the assailant slashed a 28-year-old woman in the left leg as she sat on a southbound No. 4 train approaching the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall subway station in Lower Manhattan, according to police. She suffered a severe laceration and was transported to a hospital for treatment.

After the third slashing, the assailant exited the train at the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall subway station. He was last seen fleeing through the Chambers Street subway station exit, police said.

Police are still searching for the suspect, who has short black hair, brown eyes and is about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs approximately 220 pounds. The suspect was last seen wearing a white shirt, blue pants, black sneakers and a black baseball cap with the letter "B" in red on the front. 

Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).