A subway rider in Manhattan was stabbed in the back on Thursday while buying a MetroCard at a vending machine inside an Upper West Side subway station.

A New York Police Department spokesman told PIX11 the attacker was seen with a knife when he boarded a train in Times Square. After a 911 call was made, police subsequently stopped the train at 72nd and Broadway, at which point the attacker ran off.

The unprovoked attack occurred just after noon at the aforementioned location, according to ABC7. The 40-year-old victim, Binny Marwaha-Bahl, was reportedly slashed in the back and later transported to Mount Sinai West in stable condition. She has since received stitches and has been released from the medical facility.

Speaking to NBC News 4, Marwaha-Bahl said she was in line to buy a MetroCard when she felt a "sharp pain" and screamed. At first, she said she was unaware she had been stabbed.

At this time, police are still searching for the suspect who was last seen wearing blue jeans and a blue shirt. He was also described as being 5-feet, 10 inches tall, and carrying a "long knife."

Anyone with information about this attack is asked to call NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit tips through the Crime Stoppers website at NYPDCrimeStoppers.com, or on Twitter @NYPDTips.

An empty New York Subway car is seen on March 23, 2020 in New York City
An empty New York Subway car is seen on March 23, 2020 in New York City. AFP/Angela Weiss
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