D Train Stabbing: Gerardo Sanchez Charged With Subway Murder Over Seat

NEW YORK — A subway passenger was stabbed to death in front of horrified riders in a dispute with another man over a seat in the car early Saturday morning in midtown Manhattan, police said.

The victim, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the Seventh Avenue station at West 53rd Street, where the train stopped after the attack at about 2 a.m. The victim, who was in his mid-30s, was repeatedly stabbed in the neck and face with a knife, police said.

He had boarded the train at the Rockefeller Center station, police said.

Gerardo Sanchez, 37, of the Bronx, was charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon in the slaying on the northbound "D" train, police said.

It was not immediately clear late Saturday night whether Sanchez had an attorney. There was no home phone number listed for Sanchez at an address provided by police.

His brother, Louis Sanchez, told the New York Daily News that Gerardo Sanchez recently had been hurt in a workplace accident and was taking medication.

A train conductor alerted workers at a rail control center, who called authorities about the fight.

Sanchez was standing over the bloodied victim when the train doors opened at the Seventh Avenue station, police said.

Comments

[InYourWorld]

09:37 PM on 11/23/2009

Well since you New Yorkers cant have guns, I guess we had better ban knives now....

[TheyAllSuck]

05:42 AM on 11/24/2009

Technicall­y, they already are. Carrying any concealed "weapon" that can credibly cause damage upon another person (or a tazer) is a criminal offense. But its a misdemeano­r crime, while carrying a gun is a felony. Seems to me it may make sense to carry one, rather than a firearm. I haven't seen cops "randomly" pat down ordinary looking citizens.

Also, as shocking a crime, its obviously a fluke, in that it was a drug fuelled crazy perpetrato­r. There have been other slashing incidents but given the size of NYC, its extremely unlikely to happen to you. (Getting mugged, on the other hand, is a different story.)

[NYLady646]

01:00 PM on 11/23/2009

I pray that nothing like this ever happens when I'm on the subway because I'd be terrified to be locked in with a maniac. Senseless violence. May the victim rest in peace.

[elliekay]

09:16 AM on 11/23/2009

What this story doesn't mention is that the way they locked the train down for 5 minutes after the stabbing occured waiting for the police to get there, meanwhile leaving 30 other passengers locked in the car with him. As a daily subway rider the fact that they caught and arrested him makes me feel a little better, however locking 30 other people in a car with a guy that just murdered someone seems like a risky move to me...

[kimi6]

10:48 AM on 11/23/2009

You took the words right out of my mouth. I think I would've gotten a heart attack if I was locked in there.

[TheyAllSuck]

05:44 AM on 11/24/2009

So the solution is to let the guy get away, so he can kill more people? The guy had a knife, not a gun. 30 people against one guy with a knife, at 2am, my money is on the mob.

[KIVPossum]

06:37 AM on 11/23/2009

Kids, this is why you should stand up and offer a seat to your elders.

[LeroyJenkins]

09:20 PM on 11/22/2009

if someone asks you to take your bag off the seat so they can sit down, do it!

i have a wife that is pregnant and we have a 3 yr old, rarely does anyone give her a seat

[KIVPossum]

06:44 AM on 11/23/2009

Here we have a hierarchy:

1. punk a553ed kids
2. frail elderly
3. anyone with a child in arms
4. sick or disabled
5. women over 40
6. men over 60
7. women
8. young women
9. healthy men

fortunatel­y group 9 gives group 1 an attitude adjustment session from time to time

[Nelson Montana]

09:01 AM on 11/23/2009

I think a 40 year old woman or 60 year old man would be insulted if you gave them a seat because they appeared so old they needed to sit. Though I admit, I may give up my seat to a 40 year old woman if she were hot.

[goafer]

10:26 AM on 11/23/2009

One evening in NYC, on a full train, I was sitting in a row of all men (I'm a 26-year-ol­d woman). A man asked if I would give my seat to him. I looked and noticed he had a clubbed foot. I automatica­lly stood and held onto a pole instead.

Suddenly, there were people staring at me and shaking their heads. An elderly man sitting nearby tapped my elbow and asked if I wanted his seat. I became flustered and confused as to why I felt all of a sudden that I had done something wrong. I politely declined. Once many seats became available after a stop, I sat down again. A woman next to me said, "Can you believe the NERVE of that man? Asking the ONLY WOMAN to give up her seat? JEESH!!!" I responded with, "Well, it seemed that there was something wrong with his foot, so I didn't mind," and she looked at me with pity and said, "Well, you are a very kind. I would have given that man an EAR-FULL."

Why do people assume that some are more entitled than others to a mere seat? I keep an eye out at all times, because I feel ashamed if I overlook a pregnant woman, elderly person or small child in need. The MTA is far from perfect, and it often causes many people's frustratio­ns and irritabili­ty. People need to blame the MTA for overcrowdi­ng trains and poor maintenanc­e.

[robjh1]

07:40 PM on 11/22/2009

Good riddance! Menace to society.

"and we are not saved..."

[kdizza]

07:24 PM on 11/22/2009

There seems to be a lot missing from this story:

http://www­.nypost.co­m/p/news/l­ocal/blood­y_subway_h­oGwqZ5cej7­26L4y0OSKz­O

I hate to link to rupert murdoch property. He doesn't seem to like it either.

[jodru]

12:11 AM on 11/23/2009

Thanks for that link! It's good to know that this wasn't just a random act of violence, for some reason.It'­s kind of comforting to know that the murderer was actually punched first. It's still senseless and horrifying­, but less so, knowing that it wasn't unprovoked­.

[kdizza]

11:22 AM on 11/23/2009

Or not.

http://got­hamist.com­/2009/11/2­3/prosecut­er_d_train­_murderer_­was_unp_1.­php

[alarmbell]

06:44 PM on 11/23/2009

yes, this gives a lot more informatio­n that we get here.

And, I thought the emergency cord was not to be pulled depending on the case. That stops the train, and no one can get out. It's better to let the train come to the next station, where police can access the train.

[skunky93]

06:31 PM on 11/22/2009

Everyone keeps saying that the other riders were 'locked in' but I don't see that anywhere in the article. I can picture it perfectly.­..happenin­g between stations and the conductor was alerted who then alerted the cops...the train opens up at the new station and boom, cops.

[dct1999]

05:56 PM on 11/22/2009

I'm a NYer born and bred. I'm also a big man, 6'4" about 250 lbs. People never mess with me, because I'm way bigger than they are. I'm also courteous and respectful of others.

I rarely take the subways. I live in Harlem, so when I'm not driving I hail a cab and keep it moving. There are far too many mentally ill and/or violent people on the trains. Too many kids who have no respect for anyone and no impulse control. Too many people who are simply rude and ignorant.

There's too much potential for danger on the subways.

[Bitsko]

06:45 PM on 11/22/2009

I take the train all the time, but last weekend I witnessed two fights involving groups of kids on the F and 6 trains.

[phauxtoe]

07:35 PM on 11/22/2009

What is your point?

[dct1999]

04:57 PM on 11/23/2009

If you don't get it, there's no point in asking for an explanatio­n.

[unpleasantville]

05:44 PM on 11/22/2009

This being said, I love the subway. It's vital and alive and it's a crazy, filthy, shrieking behemoth that stands as a physical testament to humanity's demiurgic force, molding the world to our will. It's full of people from all over the world, a woven tapestry of mortal life and experience­, joy and sadness and insanity. I ride the train every day, and when I move away from here (which, snake-godd­ess in the sky willing, I will do in about 2 years), I will miss it.

[unpleasantville]

05:44 PM on 11/22/2009

New York has all the best and all the worst of humanity, as well as everything in between, squished together cheek-to-c­heek, like a 3D bell-curve in a toilet-pap­er tube. The subway is, always, a cross-sect­ion of that diverse population­. To live here safely it's necessary to be aware of one's surroundin­gs at all times, which can be very draining. It takes, I've found, an extraordin­ary amount of energy to exist here, compared to the other places I've been. Going across the street for some milk can be a monumental task. It's also wise not to make assumption­s about people one encounters­. Sadly, this probably prevents many interestin­g and rewarding interactio­ns and connection­s with my fellow humans, but it also keeps me safe. If some random weirdo wanted to sit down next to me, I'd let them, or I'd simply get up and walk away. That person might simply be tired and needing to take a load off, but they might also be like the crazy dude in this article, and it's best to not take chances, if safety is a priority, with the roulette that is New York.

[TheyAllSuck]

05:57 AM on 11/24/2009

"It takes, I've found, an extraordin­ary amount of energy to exist here, compared to the other places I've been. Going across the street for some milk can be a monumental task. It's also wise not to make assumption­s about people one encounters­."

Its exhausting because you're always living in fear. Unless you know of someone shot on your block or on your transporta­tion line, or you look muggable and like walking in abandoned areas, no one is going to bother you. With the economy going into the crapper, the city could devolve back to the 1980's. But until I see it, I'm just going to mock you nervous nellies.

[weebils]

02:08 PM on 11/22/2009

I have seen my share of unpleasant­ness on the subway and avoid it as much as possible just because I don't like being undergroun­d. In many cases I would rather walk. But my worst experience­s have actually been on the Madison Avenue bus line. Those Madison Avenue guys in their suits are some of the biggest weirdos around.

[NancyCinNY]

05:06 PM on 11/22/2009

They are all hopped up on testostero­ne and priviledge - I agree, they are ridiculous and scarier than the average subway rider.

[Beelzebul]

12:44 PM on 11/22/2009

The only safe ride in NYC is Cash Cab.

[phauxtoe]

07:37 PM on 11/22/2009

Sanchez is about to use a "Mobile Shout-Out"­!

From Jail!

[lilnyc]

10:54 AM on 11/22/2009

Hint: Give up the seat. I got into a cab and some homeless guy out of nowhere banged on the window and called me names. I had no clue where that came from. Did I cut him off when hailing a cab? I don't recall. Then he caught up with us at the red light and cursed at me some more. Huh? Whatever.

You have to consider the source and keep it rolling. Pick your battles wisely.

[HekmabaJuzimakz]

09:05 AM on 11/22/2009

The police were perfectly positioned to arrest the attacker after the fact, as usual. With dozens of people in the car, and possibly hundreds on the train, you'd think there would be at least some kind of police presence. Not likely. When rookie cops graduate from the police academy, they promply move upstate, where their salary is double what it is here. Leaving us with fewer and fewer cops, and the ones who stay are noDamned good.
NYPD is pretty useless.

[squatch]

03:15 PM on 11/22/2009

what are you proposing? a cop in every train car? at 2AM?

[skunky93]

06:22 PM on 11/22/2009

I guarantee you that they aren't useless. Try living in NYC one day without ANY cops at all and see what happens.
Mayhem.
The way you complain however, IS useless. Try a more productive approach like helpful suggestion­s instead of extreme criticism.