Guards save life of NYC subway stabbing victim

Two National Guard soldiers intervened to save the life of a man stabbed in a New York subway station.

Staff Sgt. Joel Strickland and Spc. Desany Jacques of the New York National Guard dressed the wound with a trauma kit to stop the bleeding and stabilize the victim on May 20, according to the service.

The two troopers were deployed to the subway as part of a citywide effort to help the New York Police Department carry out bag checks. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul deployed 750 National Guard troops on March 6 after the city was rocked by a series of stampedes, slashings and shootings, some fatal and others caught on video.

Subway arrests increased nearly 53% compared to 2023, according to an NYPD press release.

The two soldiers met police around 2 p.m. at a metro security checkpoint, where they inspected the bags. They heard a loud noise and looked up to see a shirtless man shouting obscenities and fighting with two other people.

The police intervened and arrested the instigator while the soldiers took care of the two attacked individuals, one of whom had a large stab wound in the back.

They called an ambulance, but in the meantime stopped the excessive bleeding by covering the wound with gauze, saving the man's life.

Strickland and Jacques both have military medical training and are volunteer first responders outside of the National Guard.

Strickland lives in Manhattan and is a medic assigned to the 42nd Infantry Division, where he has served since 2020 with Joint Task Force Empire Shield, New York State's military affairs organization.

Jacques, a Long Island resident, is a supply specialist assigned to the 102nd Military Police Company.

“These two Soldiers were able to respond without hesitation,” Capt. Caleb Jean, Joint Task Force Empire Shield company commander, said in a statement. “I am extremely impressed with how they handled the situation.”

Jacques said reacting quickly to an unforeseen circumstance is something Soldiers assigned to the task force must be prepared for.

“Every day is something new in office for us,” Jacques said in a statement.