Story by Ethan
On February 18th, 2026, the arrest of Dariel Castillo, age 25, was announced by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr.. Dariel Castillo was charged with second-degree Assault, second-degree Menacing, third-degree Robbery, fourth-degree Grand Larceny, and fourth-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon. The arrest and charges against Dariel Castillo were a result of an investigation handled by NYPD Detective Ryan Specht of the Manhattan Transit Squad.
According to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, at approximately 4:50 a.m. on January 28th, 2026, Dariel Castillo boarded the F-train at the Broadway-Lafayette station before he approached a 25-year-old female while the train was stationary. Allegedly as the victim was sitting inside the train Dariel Castillo abruptly snatched her cellphone out of her hands. While the victim was attempting to retrieve her cellphone the defendant allegedly brandished a knife while threatening to stab her. After an unspecified amount of time the victim recovered her cellphone from Dariel Castillo, the defendant then fled from the F-train and the Broadway-Lafayette station. At approximately 5:20 a.m. the same morning a 51-year-old man entered the same station before Dariel Castillo approached him while yelling at him to leave immediately. The victim obliged and started to retrace his steps up the stairs to exit, however Dariel Castillo allegedly followed behind him and used a knife to stab him several times in his back. The defendant fled back into the station while the victim was looking for help, eventually being transported to a local hospital to receive treatment. Dariel Castillo was located and arrested on February 4th, 2026.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office stated that the charges against Dariel Castillo are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
