A man slashed three elderly subway riders across two platforms at Grand Central Terminal on Saturday
The suspect entered the subway system at the Vernon Boulevard station in Queens around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday and boarded a No. 7 train heading toward Grand Central Terminal. During the journey, he was reportedly behaving erratically.
Once at Grand Central, he slashed one person on the No. 7 train platform before moving upstairs to the 4/5/6 platform, where he slashed two additional victims. An 84-year-old man sustained significant lacerations to the head and face on the No. 7 platform. A 65-year-old man sustained similar injuries as well as an open skull fracture on the 4/5/6 platform. A third victim, a 70-year-old woman, suffered a laceration to the shoulder on the same platform. None of the victims knew each other, and investigators said the attack was random.
A bystander alerts detectives
At around 9:40 a.m., a witness flagged down two detectives working at the station and told them a man with a knife had just attacked multiple people on the platform. Both officers ran to the 4/5/6 platform, where they encountered one of the wounded victims on the stairs before confronting the suspect.
The suspect was armed with a large knife described as a machete and was behaving erratically, repeatedly stating that he was Lucifer, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Officers issued at least 20 orders to drop the knife and attempted to de-escalate and offer assistance, telling him they were going to get him help. He then advanced toward the officers with the knife extended, and one officer discharged his firearm, striking the suspect twice. Two law enforcement sources said the standoff lasted 10 minutes before officers fired. The suspect was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Victims’ conditions and what investigators know
All three victims were transported to Bellevue Hospital. Based on current information, their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. Law enforcement sources said the suspect was known to police and had more than a dozen arrests, including for menacing and slashing at people with a sharp object. He had been arrested in 2019 for felony assault with a weapon. Investigators found no connection to terrorism, and the attack appears to have been entirely random.
Two officers were also hospitalized and reported to be in stable condition. According to law enforcement sources, they were treated for tinnitus following the discharge of the firearm.
The investigation going forward
The entire incident was captured on body-worn cameras. The NYPD issued an alert urging the public to avoid the area, and the MTA announced that the 4, 5, 6 and 7 trains were bypassing Grand Central while the investigation was underway. Passengers were given bus vouchers.
The attack prompted the NYPD to shut down Grand Central, the second busiest station in the MTA’s network, suspending 4, 5 and 6 train service in both directions. As of 1:30 p.m., police were working to reopen some of the lines, with the 5 train running with delays systemwide and uptown service beginning at 59th Street.Service has since resumed.
The NYPD is conducting an internal investigation into the shooting and will release body-worn camera footage, as is standard procedure in all officer-involved shootings. Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed as much in a public statement, adding that the three victims were in stable condition and expressing gratitude for the department’s response. Governor Kathy Hochul, who described the attack as horrific, said her office is working closely with police as the investigation continues.
Transit safety and what comes next
The stabbings come after multiple attacks in recent years that have raised anxiety around New York City’s subway system, including a man pushed onto tracks in Chelsea in January 2025 and a woman set on fire and killed on a Brooklyn train in December 2024.
Commissioner Tisch said the attack is exactly why the NYPD recently increased its presence in the transit system, noting the department had added officers to subway patrols in the weeks prior, including at Grand Central itself. She said the detectives on the scene followed every protocol before using force, and that the shooting was captured in full on body cameras for review.
The investigation remains active. Officials said additional information will be released as it becomes available.