Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Straphanger, 4 MTA Workers Pepper Sprayed At Grand Central
By
Claire Lampen
Published Nov 28, 2018
Modified Nov 28, 2018
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Claire Lampen
Published Nov 28, 2018
Modified Nov 28, 2018
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Four MTA workers landed in the hospital following a heated altercation between straphangers on Tuesday night, having found themselves in the blast zone when the argument escalated to pepper spray.
According to the NYPD, a fight broke out on a southbound 6 train pulling into Grand Central around 7 p.m. As the doors opened, one of the men involved hit the other with a blast of chemical liquid, which authorities identified as pepper spray. He then sped off, reportedly leaving four sputtering platform conductors (and his sickened adversary, a 29-year-old man) in his wake.
One of the platform conductors, reportedly alerted to the situation by a passenger yelling about a "crazy man" on the train, spotted a man doubled over and pouring water on his head, according to the NY Daily News. The lingering chemical cloud, however, blocked her from going over to help him.
"I couldn't talk. It was burning my throat. I was coughing. I couldn't get close to him. The smell was so overpowering," the MTA worker told the Daily News.
The MTA workers were taken to Bellevue Hospital for treatment, and the rider who got sprayed reportedly sought medical attention on his own.
Police do not have a suspect in their crosshairs at this time.
Tagged
6 train
grand central
pepper spray
subway
subway attack
Claire Lampen
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 4:22 p.m. ET
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .