‘Senseless act’: Man accused of stabbing MTA worker in NYC subway station

CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn (PIX11) — A man with a history of violent attacks in the city’s transit system is accused of viciously stabbing an MTA worker during an argument in a Brooklyn subway station on Tuesday, prosecutors said.

Jonathan Davalos, 27, was charged with attempted murder, assault, criminal possession of a weapon, and a slew of other charges in connection to the attack at the Crown Heights–Utica Avenue station around 10:50 a.m., authorities said.

Davalos allegedly stabbed the train conductor, Myran Pollack, 59, several times while he was on top of the victim on the southbound platform, according to the criminal complaint. The defendant knifed the victim in the stomach and leg after he told him to get off the train at the last stop, officials said.

MTA brass said the suspect was previously convicted of assaulting an MTA worker and slashing a straphanger. He was released from prison in February.

“We got to find a way to get people like this perpetrator out of the public space, out of the subways, so they don’t attack people again and again,” MTA CEO Janno Lieber said on Tuesday.

Davalos is being held without bail following his arraignment on Wednesday.

“This defendant is accused of viciously attacking and seriously injuring a hardworking train operator who was simply doing his job. My office requested that he be held without bail, and we will aggressively pursue full accountability for this violent assault. Keeping straphangers and transit workers safe is essential to the functioning of our city and a top priority for my office. We remain committed to ensuring that those who threaten the safety of our subways face the full consequences of their actions. My thoughts are with Mr. Pollack and his family as he recovers from this senseless act of violence,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said.

Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.

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