Three suspects responsible for attacking a homeless man during a Queens subway stabbing early Saturday morning remain at large, police reported.
The 46-year-old male victim was attacked at about 3:07 a.m. on Feb. 19 in the mezzanine of the Jamaica-Van Wyck station on the E/J lines, off the corner of Metropolitan and Jamaica Avenues in Kew Gardens.
According to law enforcement sources, the three suspects approached the homeless man and demanded his money, leading to a dispute.
The argument quickly escalated into violence when the pack of men went on the attack, stabbing the homeless man seven times in the buttocks and thighs. They then fled the scene in an unknown direction.
Officers from the 102nd Precinct and NYPD Transit District 20 responded to the incident. EMS brought the man to Jamaica Hospital in stable condition.
It was the third subway stabbing in as many days in New York City. On Thursday, a breakdancer was attacked on board an L train near the First Avenue station in Manhattan’s East Village; the culprit in that case was apprehended Friday.
Also on Feb. 18, a man was reportedly slashed in the arm at the Briarwood station on the E/F lines in Queens, one stop east of the Jamaica-Van Wyck station. Police sources do not believe the Briarwood attack was connected to the Jamaica-Van Wyck incident.
Friday’s attack happened hours after Mayor Eric Adams and Governor Kathy Hochul announced a comprehensive program to combat crime and homelessness in the subway system, which includes increased NYPD deployments and enforcement of a subway code of conduct.
The investigation remains ongoing, police said, with no arrests made as of yet.
Anyone with information regarding the stabbing can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
