Police from the 107th Precinct in Fresh Meadows are looking for a slasher who allegedly attacked a 57-year-old man onboard an MTA bus in Kew Gardens Hills last month, according to the NYPD.
The assault occurred on the night of Monday, Jan. 22 as the bus was approaching the intersection of Main Street and Melbourne Avenue along the eastern edge of Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
The passenger began to argue with a stranger at around 6:00 p.m. when the suspect suddenly pulled out a box cutter and slashed the victim in his chest and arm before running off the bus in an unknown direction. Police responded to a 911 call of an assault at the location and found the victim on the bus.
EMS transported him to New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital where he was listed in stable condition, police said.
The NYPD released surveillance images of the suspect on Tuesday and described him as having a medium complexion. He was wearing a gray hooded winter jacket over a camouflage hoodie, with a black face covering and a facemask. The suspect also wore a dark ski cap and carried a camouflage backpack.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
Through Feb. 4, the 107th Precinct has reported 29 assaults so far in 2024, 10 more than the 19 reported at the same point last year, an increase of 52.9%, according to the most recent CompStat report.
