Off-duty officer shoots man inside Penn Station; investigation under way

An off-duty New York Police Department officer shot and wounded a man inside Pennsylvania Station in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday evening, authorities said. The unidentified man was transported to a hospital and was in stable condition, police said. No information about the possible motive or what led to the shooting was immediately released as investigators reviewed surveillance footage and spoke with witnesses.

Police said they responded to a 911 call at about 7 p.m. reporting a shooting inside the station complex, which houses Amtrak, the Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit. The shooter was an off-duty officer; authorities did not immediately disclose the officer’s identity or whether the officer fired in self-defense or in response to a threat. The investigation is ongoing, and additional details were not released as of late Wednesday.

Video from the scene showed a heavy police presence at a section of the station that serves the Long Island Rail Road. Officials asked the public to avoid the area while the investigation continued, warning of potential delays and traffic disruptions in surrounding Midtown Manhattan streets. Penn Station, beneath Madison Square Garden, is a hub that handles a large share of regional rail and intercity traffic, with Amtrak and multiple commuter lines serving its sprawling complex.

Penn Station is the busiest station in the United States, handling roughly 600,000 passengers daily. The facility’s scale reflects its role as a major gateway for national and regional rail travel, linking Amtrak’s long-distance trains with the New York City subway system, the Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit.

The broader political and policy context around Penn Station’s future includes ongoing federal involvement in major transit projects. In April, the administration of former President Donald Trump announced it would take control of the planned $7 billion reconstruction of the aging station, sidelining the city’s mass transit agency and raising questions about funding and oversight for one of the nation’s busiest transportation hubs. The project timeline and governance remain a point of contention among city, state and federal stakeholders as the region continues to manage growth and reliability concerns for its rail network.

The NYPD said the investigation is ongoing and did not provide additional details about the circumstances that led to the shooting or whether charges would be filed. Updates from police and local officials are expected as investigators review evidence and interview witnesses. Officials urged anyone with information to come forward to assist with the inquiry.