A man was punched, repeatedly stabbed and robbed on a Bronx train after a clash with brutal attackers who demanded he hand over his gold chain, the Daily News has learned.
Alberto Abreu Contreras, 39, was on his way home early Monday morning from his job as a valet, riding the No. 4 train heading north around 2:19 a.m. when he was approached by three men — all wearing black — who ordered him to hand over his chain.
When he didn’t cooperate, they grabbed the jewelry and pulled the victim onto the train platform at the E.167th St. station in Highbridge.
“If you don’t give me your stuff I’m going to stab you,” one of the men threatened, police sources told the Daily News.
The crooks then furiously attacked Contreras, punching him in the face and stabbing him in the abdomen and torso before taking off with the wounded victim’s 14 karat Jesus medallion chain, EarPods, Samsung galaxy A23 phone and IDs.
“I was sitting on the train and a guy grabbed me by my chain through my hoodie,” Contreras told The News about the terrifying attack. “He dragged me out onto the platform, I held onto the guy for dear life. There was two more guys that came to help him. They said ‘let him go’. He was saying ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry’ in Spanish and he ran down the escalator.”
Contreras was unconscious following the beatdown and said he woke up in a hospital.
He was transported to Lincoln Hospital, where he was initially in critical condition. After surgery, however, he’s now expected to recover.
“I still feel the pain,” Contreras told The News. “They put tubes in my stomach to see if there was internal bleeding. “It is what it is, this goes with the neighborhood, this can happen to anyone.”
His three attackers, who are all believed to be in their 20s, remain on the loose.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls are confidential.
Originally Published:
