Three people were slashed and another pepper-sprayed and bitten overnight in the Times Square area — both in the subway and out on the street, authorities said.
In the most recent crime, a 26-year-old man was slashed in the right arm in what appears to be an unprovoked attack on the No. 7 train platform at the Times Square subway hub around 3:45 a.m., cops said.
The victim claimed the suspect had accosted him previously — and, once confronted, the stranger knifed him in return, according to police sources.
The wounded man showed cops a photo of his attacker — and the suspect, identified as Michael Hernandez, 25, of Brooklyn, was soon busted by police, according to authorities and sources.
Hernandez was charged with second-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, cops said.
Officers found a switchblade in the left pocket of his shorts, sources said.
In an unrelated attack around 1 a.m., Sara Flores, 19, was walking through Bryant Park, at West 42nd Street and Sixth Avenue, when she told Jennifer Tompkins, 30 — a complete stranger — that a group had just jumped her, cops said.
Tompkins warned Flores to leave her alone or she’d pepper-spray her — but Flores persisted, according to police.
Then an all-out brawl ensued between the women — with Tompkins allegedly pepper-spraying Flores and biting her on the lip — and Flores stabbing Tompkins in the head and the ribs, cops said.
Both women were arrested with assault and menacing, both in the second degree, police said.
Flores is from the Bronx and Tompkins from Queens, authorities said.
The earliest assault unfolded around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, when a 31-year-old man was slashed in the stomach after getting into an argument with another man on the southbound A, C and E platform, cops said.
The victim was taken to Bellevue, where he was listed in stable condition, police said.
The nature of the violent clash was unclear Wednesday, and no arrests have been made.
The chaotic incidents came hours after Mayor Eric Adams touted how much the Crossroads of the World is thriving.
“Any time you don’t believe the city’s back, just go hit Times Square and you see just the people walking, just enjoying being in our city,” Hizzoner said at a Monday morning briefing.
Felony assaults are up about 13% so far this year in the confines of the Midtown South Precinct, which covers Times Square.
A total of 276 such crimes were reported from the beginning of the year through Sunday, compared to 244 during the same period in 2023, the latest data show.
Overall felony crime, however, is down in the precinct’s confines so far this year, with 1,766 incidents reported compared to 2,022 last year.
