The NYC subway has always been a theater of the weird, but lately, the performances are getting darker. On a Saturday morning in April 2026, the usual rhythm of Grand Central Station shattered. A man who started his morning by preaching the Gospel ended it by pulling a machete on unsuspecting commuters. This isn't just another "crazy person on the train" story. It's a flashing red light for a transit system that's struggling to balance public safety with the reality of a mental health crisis that’s spilled out of the shadows and onto the 4, 5, and 6 lines.
If you’re a New Yorker, you know the drill. You see someone shouting about salvation or damnation and you move to the next car. You put your headphones in and stare at the floor. But the case of 44-year-old Anthony Griffin reminds us that the "ignore it and it goes away" strategy has a breaking point.
The Pivot From Prayer to Predation
Griffin entered the system in Queens, appearing to many like just another "subway preacher"—a fixture of New York life as common as delayed G trains. He was talking about God, about the end of days, about the spiritual state of the city. But something shifted when he hit the Grand Central-42nd Street hub.
The transition was violent and immediate. He didn't just snap; he transformed. According to witnesses and NYPD reports, Griffin went from invoking the divine to declaring himself "Lucifer." It’s a chilling detail that highlights the thin, frayed wire many of these individuals are walking.
His first target was an 84-year-old man on the 7 train platform. Imagine being 84, just trying to navigate the stairs, and being slashed in the head by a man with a machete. It’s the kind of nightmare that keeps people off the trains. Griffin didn't stop there. He moved to the upper platforms, fracturing a 65-year-old man’s skull and slashing a woman’s shoulder.
When De-escalation Fails
The NYPD response was fast, but the outcome was final. When officers confronted Griffin, they didn't just start shooting. They gave him at least 20 verbal orders to drop the blade. They told him, "We are going to get you help."
It’s easy to criticize police from the comfort of a keyboard, but when a man is lunging at you with a machete after already wounding three people, the options disappear. One officer fired two shots. Griffin died at Bellevue Hospital later that day.
The tragedy here is twofold. First, the victims who now carry physical and psychological scars from a morning commute. Second, the fact that a man can carry a machete into the heart of Manhattan’s transit system while clearly in the throes of a psychotic break without anyone—or any system—intervening sooner.
The Mental Health Gap
The NYPD noted that while Griffin had three prior arrests, he had no "EDP history" (Emotionally Disturbed Person) on file. This is a massive red flag for how we track and manage public safety. We're great at reacting to the machete, but we're terrible at seeing the preacher who's about to pick it up.
New York’s transit system is currently a pressure cooker. We’ve seen similar incidents, like the Jordan Williams case where a passenger felt forced to use lethal force in self-defense, or the horrific shoving of a woman at 63rd Street that left her paralyzed. The common thread isn't just "crime"—it's a systemic failure to address people who are clearly disconnected from reality before they become dangerous.
You can't just throw more police at the problem and expect it to vanish. But you also can't pretend that "preaching" on a train is always harmless. There’s a line between eccentric public expression and a brewing threat, and right now, the city is struggling to find it.
Surviving the System
If you're riding the subway today, the "head down, eyes forward" approach isn't enough. Vigilance is the only real currency you have.
- Trust your gut over your manners. If someone’s energy feels "off," even if they're just preaching, leave the car. Don't worry about being rude.
- Identify the exits. When you board, know where the door is and where the emergency intercom is located.
- Stay off the edge. The "subway shove" is a real fear for a reason. Stand back by the pillars or the center of the platform until the train is fully stopped.
The Grand Central attack wasn't a random fluke; it was a symptom. Until the city finds a way to pull the "Lucifers" out of the system before they pull out a machete, the subway will remain a place where the Gospel and the blade are separated by only a few minutes and a lot of broken promises.
If you're worried about transit safety, start by demanding more than just "more cops." We need a system that identifies the Anthony Griffins of the world long before they reach the platform. Keep your eyes open and your back to the wall. It’s a different city than it was five years ago, and pretending otherwise is how people get hurt.
