An employee of the Metropolitan Transit Authority was assaulted while attempting to mediate a dispute on the subway Thursday, occurring just a short distance from where a recent deadly incident involving a sword-wielding assailant took place earlier in the week.
Michael Grosso, a 59-year-old track worker, was on his shift shortly after midnight on the southbound A/C line at the Jay Street station when he noticed a confrontation between a man and a passenger on the platform. He decided to intervene, as reported by police sources to The Post.
Sadly, Grosso became the focus of aggression himself.
<pThe assailant, described by law enforcement as a black male in his 40s dressed all in black, retaliated against Grosso, throwing a punch that struck him on the left side of the face, according to police reports.
Following the attack, the assailant fled the scene, disappearing into the night.
Despite the alarming nature of the incident, the MTA employee declined medical treatment at the location.
The Jay Street subway station is notable for being the site where a well-respected security guard from Brooklyn was tragically killed just days prior.
Nicola Tanzi, a 64-year-old security guard, was brutally attacked and killed after he assisted David Mazariegos, 25, by holding open the subway security gate.
Mazariegos was apprehended hours later in Times Square, where he was found in possession of a samurai sword—an unusual detail that has left many New Yorkers in disbelief.
The individual told police that he was provoked by the way Tanzi looked at him.
The Post attempted to contact a representative from the Transit Workers Union regarding the attack on Thursday but did not receive a prompt reply.
