June 26, 2026—TWU Local 100 members and officers were on hand in Bronx Supreme Criminal Court Friday for a long-awaited event: the first day of the trial of the man who brutally slashed our sister Conductor last June.
As the prosecution gave opening statements, a clearer picture emerged of the cruel attack. The Conductor, a 36-year-old mom who had two years on the job at the time of the slashing, had been kind enough to reopen the doors for the man she saw running up the stairs at the Morrison Ave.-Soundview station that day. She never thought he would turn on her so violently a moment later.
“Shut the f— up! Don’t tell me what to do!” yelled Isaiah Thompson at the Conductor once he was aboard the train and she made the customary announcement to stand clear of the closing doors, said prosecutors.
Thompson traveled two stops to Whitlock Ave., got off the train and then grabbed the Conductor, slashing her with a sharp object.
“He slashed a mother of two across the face and she has to live with that trauma, as does her family, for the rest of her life,” said Conductor-Towers Division Chair Chris Drummond to the assembled press after the morning’s opening statements and testimony. “We have hope that there will be justice served for this monster.”
Thompson faces up to 25 years in prison if found guilty of the top charge, Assault 1.
Local 100 members and officers from across departments were at the courthouse in solidarity with and support of our sister Conductor. Unfortunately, no department is safe from attacks from the public, and they are constant, noted Train Operators Division Vice Chair Aaron Morrison.
“These assaults are—they’re piling up every single day. Today it’s our sister, and tomorrow it’s somebody else,” said Morrison.
Local 100 has attended meetings with MTA officials about the frequent assaults on our members, but the only change we have seen is more NYPD officers in the subway system. While we appreciate the increased presence, additional officers don’t guarantee a crime-free tour.
“Our sister Subway Conductor, like all of us, is looking forward to justice being served. She was doing her job in the middle of the day when this man brutally attacked her, something that no one should have to endure, but so many of our members do,” said Local 100 President John V. Chiarello. “These attacks are not a new problem, and we have been sounding the alarm, showing up to court hearings and standing by our members who have been assaulted on a regular basis for years. At what point do others who have the power to make change step in?”
