Social media influencer Chris Olsen recently shared a disturbing experience he encountered on New Year’s Day while riding the New York City subway. The 27-year-old said he was chased away. Another man, a friend of the victim, identified as Caroline Haroldson, narrated the sequence of events in a TikTok video.
An Unexpected Threat
The confrontation started when a passenger allegedly threatened to use a big knife and swore loudly. Although Chris Olsen did not get a look at the gun itself, the increasing din quickly erupted into pandemonium. Undoubtedly frightened by this threat, many passengers attempted to move towards the rear of the train car that Chris Olsen and Haroldson occupied.
A Desperate Escape Attempt
When the feeling of desperation increased, Chris Olsen tried to direct people into a neighboring train section. However, the door between the cars was stuck; this became a narrow corridor after making a connection between the two cars. However, he struggled to break the door open, and then the next section was too locked to get passengers out.
Things could only get worse as screams started to ring from the far end of the car. More violence erupted; the crowd was pinned against a wall with little to no way out. Someone pulled the train’s emergency brake handle at that time, and all trains stopped and remained confused. Too long a time passed for Olsen’s liking before the conductor came to unlock the door and let passengers disembark to a better-secured place.
A Lasting Impact
Chris Olsen remembered all that he had been through and said that what had happened was very different from all he had been observing in the subways where people often act weird. This, however, made him rather upset and is something that will remain with him for quite a long time now. The bitter experience underlines the instability of public transport and the Importance of safety for people. To Olsen and everyone, who were on the train, it was a dreadful way to begin the year 2002.
