NYC subway cellist quits performances after assault, calls for better protection

Iain Forrest, a subway cellist in New York City, announced he will be ceasing his performances in stations following a recent assault, wherein he was struck in the head with a metal bottle. What happened: In the now-viral video of the incident, uploaded to X on Feb. 14, Forrest, 29, can be seen sitting on a stool while passionately playing his cello when a woman randomly approaches him from behind in the 34th Street-Herald Square station at around 5:45 p.m. The assailant, dressed in a mustard jacket and red scarf, picks up Forrest’s own metal water bottle off the ground and strikes him in the head before casually walking away from the scene. “This marks the second attack I’ve endured in less than a year while performing for New Yorkers in subway stations,” Forrest wrote.