[ May 1, 2026 ]
Shocking video shows the moment a racist woman randomly whams a musician with a metal water bottle in a rush-hour attack at a Midtown transit hub — the last straw that prompted the cellist to suspend his subway performances “indefinitely.”
Iain. S. Forrest, 29, was sitting on a stool passionately playing the instrument in the 34th Street-Herald Square station around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday when the assailant approached him out of nowhere, according to cops and a video the victim posted on X.
If the cellist was black and the assailant white or asian, the enemedia would be clubbing us to death with this news story. But if you didn’t see it on X (the only free speech platform), you didn’t see it.
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She fled the station, shedding her outer clothes, and escaped into the nearby Macy’s, where NYPD were unable to locate her. We urgently need your help. Please share this post and video to help identify her before she harms me or others again.
— Iain S. Forrest, PhD (@IainSForrest) February 14, 2024
🚨NEW: Police have released a video of the suspect who attacked the NYC subway cellist with a metal water bottle
This week he announced that he will no longer perform in the subway
'I don't think I can do this anymore. I'm suspending subway performances indefinitely.'
This is… pic.twitter.com/vKP1qxNP8U
— Unlimited L's (@unlimited_ls) February 19, 2024
Iain is a fantastic cellist. I have seen him many times and I have always enjoyed his uplifting music. What I did not know was he was also a medical school doctorate student.
I hope they find this hateful woman and charge her with hate crime.
We need change, New York! Let’s… https://t.co/FuvEcO3dBo
— Helen Qiu | 2024 NYS Assembly D65 Repub. Candidate (@Helen4NY) February 15, 2024
A cellist was knocked out by a future doctor/engineer/Supreme Court clerk while performing for the public in the New York City subway. This is the new normal. pic.twitter.com/NJnBYNKnEL
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) February 19, 2024
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NYC subway cellist who was struck in the head quits station performances, calls for protection for musicians
By: Ronny Reyes, NY Post Feb. 19, 2024:
Iain Forrest said he will no longer volunteer to play his cello in NYC’s subways system until there is better protection in place for musicians.
Iain Forrest said he will no longer volunteer to play his cello in NYC’s subway system until there is better protection in place for musicians. Instagram / @eyeglasses.stringmusic
The electric cellist was bashed in the head last week by a woman who used his own metal water bottle.“I love performing for you all in the subway, but I’m at my breaking point and can’t take more injury or harm,” he continued.
Forrest, an MD-PhD student at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine, pointed out that he was just one of many subway performers who have been “attacked, harassed or robbed” while trying to entertain their fellow commuters.
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“We’ve started a coalition of people who want stronger security and protection for musicians performing in the subway. The MTA and NYPD do NOT track stats of crimes against subway musicians,” Forrest said.“This has to change to know where, when, and why these attacks happen. Then police resources can be smartly allocated to prevent attacks,” he added.
ADVERTISEMENTForrest is one of hundreds of volunteers for the MTA’s Music Under New York program, which schedules musicians to hold performances at transit hubs across the city.
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His latest plea to curb violence in the subways came as NYPD City Crime Stoppers released a new video of his assailant, with the footage showing a clearer picture of her face. Crime Stoppers is offering up to $3,500 for a tip leading to her arrest.The attack happened around 5:45 p.m. last Tuesday at the 34th Street-Herald Square subway station, where the suspect used Forrest’s own water bottle to bash him in the back of the head before fleeing.
The senseless assault was filmed by fans recording Forrest’s pe
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