Police are seeking suspects after the June 5 attack on an M104 bus on the Upper West Side.
NEW YORK CITY, NY — A 74-year-old man was stabbed on an MTA bus in Manhattan after he stepped in to defend a pregnant rider during a confrontation earlier this month, police and the victim said.
Robert “Tony” Hunter was riding the M104 bus on June 5 when the dispute began near Broadway and West 92nd Street on the Upper West Side. Police said the attack left Hunter with a stab wound to his left shoulder. He was taken by emergency medical workers to Mount Sinai Morningside in stable condition as investigators searched for the people involved.
Hunter, a former football player, club bouncer and correction officer, said he was coming home from grocery shopping in Harlem at about 6:30 p.m. when he saw a man push past a pregnant woman who had a baby stroller. Hunter said the man complained about the stroller and moved by the woman in a way that caused it to hit her stomach. “I was like, show the lady some respect. She’s pregnant,” Hunter said in an interview.
Hunter said the remark quickly made him the target. A second man came from the back of the bus and joined the confrontation, he said. Police said several people then punched Hunter in the head and body before one person pulled a knife or sharp object and stabbed him in the left shoulder. Hunter said the bus driver warned him that four men were on him during the struggle.
The attack happened on one of Manhattan’s main north-south bus routes, which runs along Broadway through the Upper West Side. The M104 serves riders between West Harlem and Midtown, passing busy stops, apartment buildings, stores and subway connections. The confrontation unfolded in a public transit setting where riders were close together and the dispute grew from a brief exchange into violence, according to Hunter’s account and police information.
Hunter said he did not at first realize how badly he had been hurt. He said his arm was covered in blood before he was taken to the hospital. He later said the wound required three stitches and that he did not suffer more serious visible injuries. Police said no arrests had been announced after the attack. Investigators released surveillance images of two people wanted for questioning and continued trying to identify those involved.
The pregnant woman’s name was not released, and officials did not report whether she was injured. The names of the suspects also were not released. Police did not say whether the attack was being investigated as part of a broader pattern or as an isolated bus assault. Hunter said relatives and friends told him to avoid taking the bus after the stabbing, but he said he still believed speaking up was the right thing to do.
Hunter said the moment stayed with him because he thought of his own family. “If that was my daughter, she was pregnant and someone was pushing her around,” he said. His comments reflected the reason he gave for stepping into the dispute, even after the exchange turned violent. Police continued to rely on surveillance images and witness information as they worked to identify the people who fled.
The case remained open as of Sunday, June 28. Police had released images of two suspects and were continuing the search for the people involved in the assault on the M104 bus.
Author note: Last updated June 28, 2026.