NYC subway conductor stabbed by rider was weeks from retiring, says he “never saw a knife that big”

By Mark Prussin, Doug Williams

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    NEW YORK (WCBS, WLNY) — A New York City subway operator who was stabbed by a rider remains hospitalized days after getting attacked at a station in Brooklyn.

Myran Pollack, an MTA conductor for more than 25 years, was critically injured at the Utica Avenue station in Crown Heights after he said he told a man to get off the 4 train when it made the last stop.

From the hospital, Pollack told CBS News New York the man appeared to be “on something” because he was shaking.

Police identified the suspect as 27-year-old Jonathan Davalos. According to police, he stabbed Pollack in the chest, torso and leg with a large knife after getting into an argument Tuesday morning.

“I’d never seen a knife that big outside of a kitchen. And he just started stabbing, and stabbing,” Pollack said. “I looked down to my side. I seen there was so much, so much blood. I couldn’t see the platform.”

Pollack, 59 and set to retire in December, remains in intensive care after undergoing two surgeries.

In the meantime, the Transport Workers Union on Friday called on the MTA for greater protections.

“We are irate, frustrated, anger, our temper is up. We want to make sure there’s changes to the policy of the transit authority, policy changes from Janno Lieber, policy changes from the legislature to make sure this never happens to any one of our members,” said Richard Davis, president of TWU Local 100.

Union members want the MTA to implement two train operators per train and expand the orders of protection, which they say would legally ban violent offenders from the transit system.

“This is no longer a request. This is a demand,” said Canella Gomez, VP of transit operations for the union. “We need MTA Police at these locations where these trains need to be cleaned out.”

Gomez twice told CBS News New York the MTA could meet the union’s demands “the easy way or the hard way.” When we asked Gomez what that meant, Davis replied instead.

“Well, the hard way would be us. In the future we will develop this messaging and give it to you. Right now we are in our planning stages of what we’re gonna sit down with the MTA and decide on,” Davis said.

Katie Falasca, who was representing the MTA at Friday’s proceedings, spoke without addressing the union’s demands.

“And but for the swift work of the NYPD, and EMS, and paramedics and trauma surgeons, this very well could have been a homicide,” Falasca said.

Dozen of transit workers attended Davalos’ court appearance Friday. He faces multiple charges, including attempted murder, after his arrest Wednesday.

With an indictment pending from a Kings County grand jury, Davalos is due back in court on Jan. 23, 2025.

According to the MTA, Davalos has more than 14 prior arrests and was convicted of attacking another transit worker in a separate case.

The CBS News New York Investigates team has been reporting on the rate of assaults against MTA workers since 2023.

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