New York City police are hunting a knife-wielding man with a staggering 53 prior arrests after allegedly carrying out two subway stabbings this week, according to the New York Post.
Billionaire Elon Musk reacted to the news, questioning how someone so dangerous is still roaming the streets.
“How can someone with 53 prior arrests continue to be on the NYC streets?” Bill Ackman, CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, questioned on X. Musk responded, “Makes no sense.”
The suspect, 52-year-old Jamar Banks, is accused of stabbing a 31-year-old man on a No. 2 train near 14th Street and Seventh Avenue in Manhattan on New Year’s Day. The next morning, he allegedly attacked an off-duty MTA cleaner, stabbing him in the back and armpit on a northbound No. 6 train platform at the Pelham Bay station in the Bronx. Both victims are recovering in stable condition.
Banks, who has mental health issues, is thought to be armed with a large knife and often travels on the No. 2 and No. 5 subway lines. Police have urged officers to be “extremely cautious” around him. Surveillance footage shows him holding a knife while wearing gloves.
According to a police source, Banks’ lengthy criminal record includes arrests for weapons possession, assault, trespassing, turnstile jumping, and petty larceny. His most recent arrest was in November for petty larceny in the Bronx.
Despite his record, Banks has remained free, raising concerns about safety on the subway and the city’s justice system.
Authorities are urging the public to report any information about Banks’ whereabouts as the manhunt continues.
