Charlotte light-rail stabbing heightens fears over transit safety in U.S. cities
Death of Ukrainian refugee on Charlotte line spurs national discussion as attacks surface in Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston and New York
A fatal stabbing aboard a Charlotte-area light-rail train on Aug. 22, 2025, claimed the life of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who had recently started a shift at a local pizzeria before heading home. Authorities identified the suspected attacker as Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., who was arrested days later and charged with murder in Mecklenburg County.
Surveillance footage from the Lynx light-rail system shows Zarutska, in uniform, taking a seat on the car when a man wearing a red hoodie approaches and abruptly pulls a knife, stabbing her to death. Brown was taken into custody Aug. 28, 2025, and booked on a murder charge, according to local authorities. The case has sparked concern among riders who rely on buses and trains for commutes and errands across the country.
The Charlotte slaying, coming amid a series of high-profile transit incidents, has amplified the debate over safety on public transportation in major American cities. Lance LoRusso, founder of the Blue Line Lawyer Institute, told Fox News Digital that transit violence disproportionately affects low-income and middle-class Americans because they are the system’s primary users. “Riders do not choose their fellow passengers and have no choice but to accept a seat next to someone who may cause them concern,” he said. “The open access and utility of a mass transit system requires that anyone can ride.” He added that self-protection options for travelers are often limited on buses and trains compared with other forms of transportation.
The incident in Charlotte sits within a broader pattern of violent or disruptive episodes on urban transit networks across the country. In Chicago, police were seeking five suspects after an Aug. 13, 2025, attack on a CTA Red Line train in the Loop left a passenger injured, according to FOX 32 Chicago. The report noted that the investigation followed other Red Line incidents earlier in the year, including the beating and robbery of an elderly man on a separate Red Line ride. The city has been grappling with how best to deter assaults on crowded trains and stations, especially during morning and evening rush periods.
In New York City, the subway system has faced a lengthy debate over safety and bystander intervention following the 2023 chokehold death of Jordan Neely on an uptown F train. Marine veteran Daniel Penny was tried on charges tied to the incident and was found not guilty in December 2024, a verdict that became a focal point in national discussions about accountability and rider responsibility on transit systems when law enforcement is not present.
In other recent incidents, a Los Angeles man was stabbed multiple times in the neck on a Metro G Line bus in North Hollywood on Sept. 3. The suspect, identified as 23-year-old Logan Dunn, was taken into custody at the scene, and the victim remained in grave condition. In Boston, a September 2024 attack on a MBTA bus left a 74-year-old man seriously injured; prosecutors said Maalik Abdur-Rasheed was involved in the assault and he was held on related charges. And in New York City, a fatal subway attack in December 2024 saw Debrina Kawam, 57, killed after a man allegedly set her clothes on fire while she slept on a F train in Brooklyn; Sebastian Zapeta, a 33-year-old previously deported individual, was charged in connection with the crime.
Officials with transit agencies and public safety departments have pointed to a mix of deterrence measures, including increased patrols, expanded camera coverage, improved lighting, and targeted community outreach programs, as part of ongoing efforts to reduce violence on buses and trains. Yet authorities and experts emphasize that risk varies by time of day, location, and the level of bystander assistance available when incidents occur. "The safety of transit system users may vary widely across the system and according to the time of day or day of the week," LoRusso noted. "Although the high presence of users is often seen as a safety net and crime deterrent, horrible tragedies have occurred on crowded trains, buses and transit stations."
The Charlotte case adds to a national narrative about how cities are balancing the openness that makes mass transit essential against the need to protect riders and workers who depend on those systems for daily life. Officials stress that no single change will eliminate risk, but the incidents have prompted renewed calls for comprehensive safety upgrades, more robust staff presence during peak hours, and enhanced rapid-response capabilities for when violence erupts on or near platforms and vehicles. As communities watch for what comes next, riders are urged to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to authorities as transit agencies continue to review security protocols and incident response plans across the country.
