Fact Check: Victims hospitalized after subway pepper-spray attack!
What We Know
On March 8, 2019, a woman attacked seven people with a substance resembling pepper spray across multiple locations in Harlem and the Upper West Side of Manhattan, including two subway stations. The attacks occurred within a short timeframe, and while none of the victims sustained serious injuries, one victim was taken to a hospital for treatment (New York Times). The police are investigating these incidents as possible hate crimes, as the attacker was identified as a Black woman and the victims were all white (New York Times).
In a separate incident reported on June 20, 2025, a woman and her 11-month-old baby were pepper-sprayed on a subway train in Queens after the mother declined to let a stranger use her phone. Both were taken to a hospital for evaluation but were expected to be okay (NBC New York, ABC7). This incident also highlights the dangers of pepper spray attacks on public transportation.
Additionally, there have been reports of other pepper-spray incidents in the subway system, including an attack where a man was both stabbed and pepper-sprayed during a confrontation on a subway train (Fox 5 NY).
Analysis
The claim that "victims were hospitalized after subway pepper-spray attack" is partially true. The first incident involved multiple victims, with one requiring hospitalization, but the others did not suffer serious injuries (New York Times). In the second incident, both the mother and her baby were hospitalized for evaluation after being pepper-sprayed, but they were expected to recover without serious harm (NBC New York, ABC7).
The reliability of the sources is generally high, as they include reputable news organizations that provide detailed accounts of the incidents. However, the context of the attacks varies significantly. The first incident appears to be a targeted attack potentially motivated by hate, while the second incident seems to be a random act of aggression. This distinction is crucial in understanding the nature of the claims being made.
Conclusion
The verdict on the claim is "Partially True." While it is accurate that victims were hospitalized due to a subway pepper-spray attack, the circumstances surrounding each incident differ significantly. In one case, only one victim was hospitalized, while in another, both a mother and her child were taken to the hospital but were expected to be okay. Therefore, the claim holds some truth but lacks the full context necessary for a complete understanding.
