SEPTA passenger gets screwdriver in the face during rush hour fight

A fight broke out on the Route 23 SEPTA bus during Wednesday rush hour, leaving one man slashed in the face with a screwdriver in stable condition and his attacker still wanted by police.

The bus was on Germantown Avenue near West Logan Street when the fight happened just after 8 a.m., SEPTA said. The attacker’s motive was not immediately known.

“It was two males that got into a verbal altercation on the route 23 bus,” said SEPTA spokeswoman Carla Showell-Lee. “It escalated, one male stabbed the other male with a screwdriver.”

It’s not clear if the victim, 19, or the suspect previously knew each other.

The victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries and is in stable condition at Einstein Hospital after receiving four stitches to the lip, Showell-Lee said. The wound was characterized as a slashing one and non-penetrative.

Also on Wednesday morning, Lincoln Drive was closed northwest of Wissahickon Avenue due to ice and an accident.

That detour caused serious traffic problems bogging down the entire Germantown area including Germantown Avenue, which may have impacted the bus.

Authorities are still searching for the suspect, who fled the bus on foot. Check back with Metro for updates.