A stray bullet struck an MTA bus in Harlem on Sunday, coming within inches of a passenger — and part of a wave of city violence that now has some drivers seeking bullet-proof vests, according to officials.
The frightening incident occurred on the M101 line shortly before 2:30 pm when the slug lodged in the side of the bus, which had about 30 passengers, during a nearby shootout, police said.
None of the shaken riders or driver were injured — but they easily could have been, said Richie Davis, vice president and chief of staff for Local 100 of the Transit Workers Union.
“[The bullet] could have killed a woman sitting right there, or the bus operator, who is understandably very shaken up and traumatized,” the union official said, adding that the slug hit the bus right behind the door on the right side.
The shooting happened at 125th Street and Lexington Avenue, where police marked off about a dozens of rounds spent near the bus and a bloody rag could be seen nearby.
“This is at least the fourth time in six months that a bus was struck by gunfire,” Davis said.
“It’s dangerous out there, too dangerous, and our bus operators are defenseless.
“Some of them are asking for bullet-proof vests.”
The shooter or shooters fled the scene, possibly in a green cab, cops said.
No arrests have been made.
The incident comes on the heels of a month during which crime soared in the Big Apple compared to January 2021.
For example, there were 100 shootings last month, a jump from the year before, when 76 incidents were logged in January 2021. In 2020 and 2019, there were 67 and 52 acts of gunplay, respectively.
Additional reporting by Catalina Gonella and Tina Moore