JERSEY CITY—A Jersey City man accused of bludgeoning a train passenger with a hammer was arrested on Thursday morning, following a month-long manhunt led by federal agents.

Anthony Robinson, 29, was taken into custody at the Booker T. Washington Houses on the city’s south side by U.S. Marshals working alongside NJ Transit Police. The arrest concluded a four-week search that began after Robinson allegedly struck a victim in the head with a hammer aboard a Hudson-Bergen Light Rail train at the Martin Luther King Drive station in February. The assault left the victim with serious injuries requiring hospitalization, though authorities have withheld the individual’s identity and current condition.

Robinson faces a single count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The second-degree offense carries a presumption of pretrial detention without bail under New Jersey’s Criminal Justice Reform Act. He was apprehended without incident at the housing complex located less than half a mile from the transit station where the attack occurred.

The incident prompted NJ Transit Police to issue an internal alert and seek federal assistance when Robinson could not be immediately located. The U.S. Marshals task force, which specializes in apprehending violent fugitives across state lines, took the lead on the investigation while NJ Transit investigators handled the transit-specific elements of the case. Acting U.S. Marshal Nicholas Ricigliano said in a statement that the arrest "underscores the relentless pursuit of justice by the task force and our law enforcement partners."

The arrest comes as NJ Transit reports a 22 percent increase in aggravated assaults on its system. The spike rose from 37 incidents in November 2025 to 45 in December 2025 according to the agency’s most recent COMPSTAT data. The increase in transit violence has coincided with increased federal task force presence at major Hudson County transit hubs including the Journal Square PATH station and the Hoboken Terminal.

Robinson is currently lodged in the Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny. His initial appearance is set for the week of April 13. The Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, closed weekends, will comment Monday. NJ Transit Police Director Christopher Trucillo did not respond to requests for comment on whether the agency is reviewing security protocols at the MLK Drive station in light of the attack. Court records indicate Robinson has no prior convictions in New Jersey.

Sources

• U.S. Marshals, "U.S. Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force Arrest Suspect Sought in NJ Transit Hammer Attack" (April 2 2026)

• Superior Court of New Jersey Appellate Division. State v. Anthony Robinson (A-2347-22) (October 10 2023)

• Nicolas Fernandes, NJ.com, "Feds detain man accused of hitting passenger with hammer on an NJ Transit train" (April 2, 2026)

• Toniann Antonelli, News12 New Jersey, "Fugitive arrested in NJ Transit hammer attack" (April 2, 2026)

• Sam Barron, Daily Voice, "Anthony Robinson Arrested By US Marshals For Hammer Assault" (April 3, 2026)

• Jersey City Community Violence Needs Assessment (2019)