Rider safety is a top concern for some riders entering the 176th Street subway station on Tuesday afternoon after a 17-year-old girl was robbed.
Police responded to a call of a robbery at the 4-line station at around 8:30 a.m.
They say the teen was approached by a man with a knife, who snatched a gold chain from her neck.
The suspect then ran away. He is described to be in his 50s, 6 feet tall, wearing black pants and a black vest with a green patch on the right side and a white patch on the left side.
The value of the stolen chain is $2,800, according to officials.
Neighbors were surprised to hear about the robbery during the daytime and said there is a lack of police presence at the station.
"That is a serious incident, though, in broad daylight. Kids going to school…it could have been a deadly incident," said one rider named Derrick Anderson.
According to the New York Police Department's CompStat, transit crime has increased from 79 incidents around this time in 2025 to 109 reported incidents this year.
Transit crime includes both reported subway and bus attacks.
Investigators told News 12 that no arrests have been made.