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SEPTA hammer attack: Commuters say more security needed

Morning commuters on the Broad Street Line said they were shocked following the release of a surveillance video by police that showed a man attacking another rider on the subway with a claw hammer.

Morning commuters on the Broad Street Line said they were shocked following the release of a surveillance video by police that showed a man attacking another rider on the subway with a claw hammer.

Central detectives last night released a tape shot last week aboard a subway car. A man and a little boy are seen standing in front of the subway car doors. The man gently kisses the boy on the cheek and directs him to an empty seat.

Then the man reaches into a backpack, pulls out a hammer, and begins an unprovoked attack on a dozing rider.

At least ten passengers watched the unprovoked attack. Not one lifted a finger to stop it.

The bloodied victim, a 20-year-old lab worker on his way home from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, took another subway up to Temple University Hospital where he was stitched up and released.

The assault was the first to be recorded by SEPTA's new electronic security system. Surveillance cameras have been installed in 37 of SEPTA's 125 trains. The entire fleet should be equipped with digital cameras by next year, said spokesman Richard Maloney.

The attack had riders this morning questioning whether SEPTA has enough police working underground.

Trisha Corko, at the Spring Garden station this morning, said she doesn't feel safe riding the Broad Street line.

Corko said she just learned of the assault. She said had seen more officers riding the trains in recent months, following an attack in March that left a Starbucks worker dead in a Center City subway concourse.

"But it's still not enough," Corko said of the additional officers. Asked if she would have intervened during Thursday's hammer attack, she demured, saying she would have to weigh her personal safety against any help she could have provided.

Other riders echoed Corko's feelings.

"You can never have enough security," said George Farrell, who takes the subway both night and day.

David Kontts said he's ridden SEPTA for over 30 years and never had a bad experience. Then again, he said he's always cautious.

Would he have jumped into the fray to stop the hammer-wielding attacker?

"It would depend," Kontts said. "When a man is really angry and is hitting someone like that, it's probably better to call someone for help."

Susan Crawshaw was horrified at news of the attack and shocked that no one intervened.

"I can't believe nobody helped," she said. "I would have started yelling and screaming."

SEPTA has been rocked in the last year by several high profile assaults. In the most notorious, Sean Patrick Conroy, a Starbucks manager, collapsed and died March 26 following a beating by truant high schoolers in a Center City subway concourse.

In the wake of that attack SEPTA added 30 officers to the 60 already on duty between 2 and 5 p.m.