Gun-Toting Man Indicted For Threatening Passenger On UWS Subway: D.A.

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The man who was arrested earlier this month for threatening a fellow straphanger with a loaded gun on an Upper West Side train earlier this month was indicted Friday on weapons charges, prosecutors said.

Michael Monahan, 33, was arrested after he displayed a fully loaded firearm during an argument with a 38-year-old subway rider while onboard an uptown two train during the early morning rush, officials said.

“As alleged, Michael Monahan possessed a fully loaded gun and displayed it to a subway rider while onboard a public train,” said District Attorney Alvin Bragg. “This alleged conduct also jeopardized the safety of the other train passengers and thankfully, nobody was hurt. Our transit system is no place for dangerous weapons and anyone who seeks to cause harm will be held accountable.”

Around 7:30 a.m. on May 4, near West 96th Street and Broadway, Monahan engaged in an argument with a subway rider as the train approached the 96th Street station, prosecutors said.

During the altercation, Monahan brandished a fully loaded firearm with five rounds of ammunition, officials said, prompting the subway rider to run and seek refuge between train cars.

The commotion caused the other passengers aboard the train car to flee to another car for safety, prosecutors said.

It is currently unknown what sparked the initial argument between Monahan and the passenger.

As the train entered the station, patrolling police officers observed passengers rushing into the adjacent train car, an NYPD spokesperson said. Upon the doors opening, the subway rider and other passengers notified the officers of the incident and assisted in identifying Monahan, who was arrested at the scene.

Monahan was found with a loaded .38 caliber revolver tucked into his waistband and a switchblade knife in his pants pocket, according to officials.

Prosecutors charged Monahan with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, as well as one count each of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, criminal possession of a firearm and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.