Metro

Madman in custody after randomly slashing three men in NYC subway station

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Published June 22, 2024
Updated June 22, 2024, 3:12 p.m. ET

A madman was in custody after randomly slashing three men at a Long Island City subway station and leaving them with “big cuts” on their faces, according to a witness and police. 

The mayhem began when the suspect cut a straphanger on the left side of his face on a northbound E train around 8:20 a.m. Saturday, before getting off at Queens Plaza E/M/R station, according to authorities.

The suspect then set upon two more victims, one 23 and another 32, near the station at 43rd Avenue and 27th Street, police said. 

A madman randomly slashed three people at a Long Island City subway station on Saturday morning, police said. 
A madman randomly slashed three people at a Long Island City subway station on Saturday morning, police said.  James Messerschmidt

“You could see the meat in their faces. [The slashings] were quite deep,” saidJohn Lee, of Long Island City, who saw the victims inside the subway station talking to cops following the separate attacks.

The victims “didn’t know” the slasher or each other and were taken to nearby hospitals and have been listed in stable condition, a police source said. 

The attacker was quickly nabbed and taken to Elmhurst Hospital, they said. It wasn’t immediately clear if he was taken to the hospital for a mental evaluation or because he was hurt. 

No charges have been filed.

“We have a big problem with crime. Frequent fights at the train stations. Armed robberies. Theft,” said Arturo Asmal, 28, who lives a few blocks from the station. 

One Kew Gardens resident said she avoids riding the rails because of all the random crime underground.

Asian biased attack in Queens Plaza subway station.
The attacker was quickly arrested and taken to Elmhurst Hospital for a mental evaluation, they said.  Kevin C. Downs for NY Post

“I am scared of all the violence on the trains,” said the woman, who gave her name as Judy, 55.

“It’s pretty crazy to see something like that happen at our station… I’m definitely more worried now,” Lee, 26, who works in tech, told The Post. “I’m definitely more worried now, taking the subway. But it is the only transportation option we have.”