A man punched a female MTA cleaner in the face inside a Queens subway station early Tuesday, authorities said.
The 64-year-old worker was standing near the booth at the Main Street station on the 7 line in Flushing around 2:15 a.m. when a 38-year-old man approached and asked for the time, cops said.
When the cleaner turned to check, the suspect suddenly socked her in the face, police said.
She was treated on scene, and the assailant was taken into custody with charges pending, cops said.
Earlier this month, two MTA conductors were assaulted and one was robbed in separate incidents in Queens and the Bronx.
The NYPD’s latest statistics, updated Sunday, reveal that the city’s subway system has seen a combined 57.5% increase in the seven major crime categories so far this year, compared to 2021.
Felony assaults are up nearly 20% from 205 to 245, according to the report.
Fifteen people were shot in six separate incidents on the rails so far this year — including the terrifying April 12 shooting spree on an N train at the 36th Street stop in Sunset Park.Â
Ten people were shot and 19 others hurt when Frank James allegedly set off smoke bombs on a rush-hour train and began shooting.
There have been four murders in the subway system year-to-date.Â
The most recent happened on Sunday, when 48-year-old Daniel Enriquez was blasted in the chest — unprovoked — on a Manhattan-bound N train approaching Canal Street.Â
Police are looking to question Andrew Abdullah, who has 19 prior arrests, in connection to the cold-blooded slaying.