New York subway riders say the deadly Midtown transit shooting over the weekend has reignited their concerns about quality of life issues they face every day.

The 53rd Street and 7th Avenue subway station bustled with tourists trekking their luggage to JFK Airport on Sunday, one day after a man was shot dead there during an argument on Oct. 17. Some sat waiting for the E train to arrive while police officers patrolled the uptown and downtown platforms.

Any evidence that a rider — who still remains unidentified by law enforcement — was shot to death on the platform 24 hours earlier had disappeared. While the physical signs had all but vanished, the psychological impact weighed heavily on the minds of those who use that very subway to get to and from work. According to transit regulars, an increase in the mentally ill and homeless congregating in the bowls of the Big Apple has made subway life difficult.

“I’m raised in New York, I lived here for 40 years. I've seen a big change in the last five, six years, man. Very dangerous. Very dangerous. I have seen people smoking drugs on the platform, fights, arguments on the train. I mean, the other day I saw somebody just get up randomly and bark in somebody's face,” one rider, 43-year-old Victor, told amNewYork.

Victor explained that he works in a building not far from where the deadly shooting took place and was at work when he heard that it happened. He said he wasn’t surprised that a shooting like that took place but found it shocking that it happened so close to home.

“Right here on 7th Avenue was kind of shocking. I mean, I don’t listen to music anymore; I have to stay alert at all times. I hate to say it, but it’s because there are a lot of homeless people and drug addicts,” Victor added.

He wasn’t the only one who felt this way. Charlton D’Souza, president of advocacy group Passengers United, said he had seen a similar issue in that same station overnight. “There's open drug use going on at the station. There's people injecting hypodermic needles. In fact, a year ago, I was at the station, and a station cleaner came up to me, and she was cleaning the station. I had introduced myself to her, and she said she was so scared to be down there to clean at the end of the station because groups of men were shooting up needles, hypodermic needles,” D’Souza said. “If you come here on the overnight, you'll see a lot of homeless individuals.”

While police have not revealed exactly what led up to the broad daylight slaying on Saturday, they did say they believe two men had an altercation that went from the platform onto a train and back on the platform before the perpetrator brandished a firearm and shot his victim in the chest. He perished at Bellevue Hospital a short time later.

Images of the gunman released by authorities show a man wearing a black facemask and a red hoodie. Cops said the suspected shooter had fled the station on foot after firing the fatal shot. He was last seen heading northbound on 7th Avenue. Police said the suspect wore a black face mask, a black vest, a red tracksuit, and black-and-white sneakers while carrying a backpack. Photos courtesy of NYPD The state of crime in the subways According to NYPD statistics, crime in the subway system has been marginally higher in 2026. As of Oct. 1, there were 15 more crimes this year than at the same point last year, a 0.9% increase.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated that the uptick was mostly driven by felony assaults, which in turn were up in the subway by 11%. During a crime statistics briefing on Oct. 11, Tisch told amNewYork that these assaults are not only mostly committed on transit workers and police officers; she also said they are mostly being committed by those already known to the police department.

“If we focus specifically on transit in the area of recidivism, 214 of the 734 people arrested in transit this year for a major crime have three or more arrests in 2026,” Tisch said. Regardless of data that shows an overall safe subway system, riders say that a feeling of vulnerability — and Saturday’s deadly shooting have all combined to create a sense of fear that one senior said causes her to avoid riding the subway alone altogether.

“There are a lot of undesirables, and I am fearful; as a woman, I feel unsafe. It's claustrophobic, it's a confined space. I feel like outside people are more willing to help and get involved than down there,” 72-year-old Eileen said, who travels back and forth from New York to New Jersey.

D'Souza, meanwhile, says the department can do a great deal to stop criminals by enforcing a ban on face coverings. “We want the MTA, and we want NYPD, especially NYPD and MTA Police Department, to ban people who wear shisties. You know, basically they cover up their nose and their face. It's not really a mask for COVID. It's just something to cover up the identity, where you can only see their eyes,” D’Souza added. “If a crime happens, NYPD cannot identify themselves.”

As of Sunday afternoon, no arrests have been made in the Midtown shooting. Anyone with information about the murder can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org , or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips . All calls and messages are kept confidential.

Dean Moses is the Police Bureau Chief at amNewYork and resident photographer. He leads coverage of the NYPD, crime, criminal justice, and breaking news.