A 22-year-old man was slashed in the face with a box cutter on a Manhattan train early Tuesday, cops said.
The victim was on an uptown A train at the 72nd Street station in the Upper West Side just before 2 a.m. when another straphanger sliced his face with the weapon, authorities said.
The motive for the attack was not immediately known.
Police were unsure whether the two men knew each other or were strangers.
The suspect – last seen wearing a purple jacket, black shirt and gray pants – bolted from the train after the violent encounter, cops said.
The victim stayed on board until the 96th Street station, where he was treated for his injuries by EMS, according to police.
The disturbing assault came days after a man riding the No. 1 train was slashed in his left cheek at the Christopher Street/Sheridan Square subway station in the West Village, cops said.
The 40-year-old victim – who was attacked at around 5:30 a.m. Saturday – was listed in stable condition at Bellevue Hospital.
That suspect ran off after the assault, police said, and no one has been arrested in either case.
NYPD statistics released last month indicate that subway crime dipped about 5% so far this year compared to last – with arrests and summonses on the rails soaring by more than 50% compared to the same period last year.