Former NYC Transit president Sarah Feinberg was randomly assaulted near a subway stop in Chelsea, The Post has learned.
Feinberg, who appealed for more cops assigned to the subways last year amid a crime surge, was sucker-punched at the corner of West 21st Street and 6th Avenue, near the F train at 23rd Street at 1:15 p.m. Oct. 20.
The attacker was walking the wrong way in a bike lane and suddenly turned around and punched Feinberg in the face, a source familiar with the case said.
The motive was unclear, though there’s a pattern of thugs participating in a sick “knockout game” by attempting to viciously render an unsuspecting innocent victim unconscious with a single blow.
Feinberg called 911 and when cops didn’t immediately respond, she walked to the local precinct and filed a criminal complaint, a source said.
The NYPD has a videotape of the incident and is investigating, the source said.
Her face was swollen but she did not seek medical attention.
“Obviously I’m grateful the assault was not more serious but I don’t think there’s any question there’s just far, far too much of these kinds of attacks, and much more serious ones, happening,” Feinberg told The Post on Friday.
The NYPD confirmed the alleged assault.
Its report said Feinberg, 45, was waiting for the light at West 21st and Sixth when a male, believed to be in his 40s, punched her with a closed fist in the nose and forehead area, unprovoked, causing pain.
The attacker was described as about 5 feet 8 inches and about 150 pounds, the report.
While MTA NYC Transit president last year, Feinberg publicly sparred with then-Mayor Bill de Blasio, demanding that he increase police patrols in the subway system to stem a spate of violence on the rails.
Crime has emerged as a top issue in the race for governor pitting incumbent Democrat Kathy Hochul against Republican rival Long Island Rep. Lee Zeldin.
Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams announced a plan last week to boost police patrols in the subways to stem the violence, with the state footing the bill for overtime.
Zeldin has hammered Hochul over crime on the rails and for other controversial criminal justice reforms, including the cashless bail law. He was endorsed Friday by the 3,900-member Subway Supervisors Association.