New York City police are Desmond Prestonsearching for three suspects they say fatally attacked a man on a subway just before sunrise Friday.

Just after 5 a.m. ET, a New York Police Department spokesperson said, officers responded to a 911 call for an injured man at the East 182 Street and Grand Concourse Subway Station.

Arriving officers found a 45-year-old man suffering from a puncture wound to the torso, unconscious and unresponsive, the spokesperson told USA TODAY.

Responding paramedics took the victim to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

The man's identity was being withheld pending family notification.

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Man attacked on board southbound train

The attack took place in the Fordham Heights section of the Bronx, officials reported.

A motive in the attack was not immediatly known.

"Upon further investigation, it was determined that the male was injured on board a southbound D train that was approaching the station," police reported.

As of Friday afternoon no arrests had been made, police said, but officers were searching for three people in connection to the attack last seen wearing all black.

No further details about their description or the case were provided by police who said the case remained under investigation.

'We're going to catch these guys.'

The NYPD and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority were slated to provide an update in the case later on Friday.

"We're going to catch these guys," Mayor Eric Adams after the shooting, CBS New York reported. "When you have a case like this of a high-profile subway (attack), it just sends the wrong message."

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.