Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy slams New York Gov. Kathy Hochul over city’s subway violence

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Wednesday slammed New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), accusing both of discounting safety risks in New York City subways.

“The @MTA & @GovKathyHochul continue to say NYC subways are perfectly safe. Meanwhile, criminals continue to terrorize innocent New Yorkers,” Duffy wrote in a post on X over a news story detailing recent violence on the NYC subway. “We’re fighting to make commuting safe again.”

In December, a 57-year-old woman was allegedly burned alive by an illegal migrant from Guatamala in a horrific subway attack. 

Less than a month later, on New Year’s Eve, a New York City man was charged with attempted murder after allegedly shoving a 45-year-old man onto the subway tracks.

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In 2024, subway felony assaults increased and homicides doubled to 10, Fox News Digital previously reported.

However, overall, subway crime was down by 5.4%, according to the NYPD.

Duffy in March sent a letter to the MTA noting New York City’s transit authority must reduce crime, or it would face federal funding cuts.

“The trend of violent crime, homelessness, and other threats to public safety on one of our nation’s most prominent metro systems is unacceptable,” Duffy wrote in the letter. “After years of soft-on-crime policies, our Department is stepping in to restore order.”

The letter requested a copy of MTA’s data on fare evasion, worker assaults, customer assaults and police patrols, Fox News Digital previously reported.

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It also requested an explanation of how MTA, which is given billions of dollars from the federal government, has used taxpayer funding to address safety and security concerns.

“Commuters are sick and tired of feeling like they have to jeopardize their safety to get to work, go to school, or to travel around the city,” Duffy wrote in the letter. “We will continue to fight to ensure their federal tax dollars are going towards a crime-free commute.”

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The DOT, MTA and Hochul’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.