Masked Teen Slashes Woman Nearly to Death on Train

An 18-year-old from New York City is facing multiple felony charges after prosecutors say he brutally attacked a woman with a large kitchen knife during a robbery on a subway train, leaving her with life-threatening injuries.

Authorities say that Brandon Balfour carried out the assault on a northbound No. 3 train in Lower Manhattan around 11:10pm last Wednesday. The victim, a 29-year-old woman who is nonverbal and communicates only in writing, told investigators she first noticed Balfour watching her “in a strange manner” while they were alone in the subway car, according to the criminal complaint.

When the woman attempted to leave the train, Balfour allegedly followed her and said she needed to hand over her bag or he would stab her.

Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators reportedly shows Balfour attacking the woman after she refused to give up her belongings.

Prosecutors say he used a kitchen knife estimated at 14 to 16 inches long, slashing her on her left arm, elbow, both hands, and back.

Court documents describe blood pooling from the woman’s back after the attack. The suspect allegedly grabbed her cellphone before fleeing the scene and discarding the weapon, leaving her injured and bleeding on the platform.

The victim was rushed to Bellevue Hospital where doctors determined the stabbing “pierced her diaphragm, causing her internal organs to shift.”

Prosecutors said she underwent “significant and extensive surgery” to survive.

Balfour was arrested two days later at a shelter in Jamaica, Queens. Police say they recovered the yellow face mask he was wearing during the incident along with a blood-covered cellphone during his arrest.

At his Manhattan Criminal Court arraignment on Sunday, prosecutors charged Balfour with attempted second-degree murder, assault, and robbery. He was ordered held without bail.

Balfour is due back in court on Thursday.

Masked Teen Slashes Woman Nearly to Death on Train