The NYPD released a new surveillance image on Wednesday that shows a suspect who is wanted in an unprovoked attack on a tourist at the Queens Plaza subway station in Long Island City last week.
The assault occurred on the morning of Thursday, Feb. 15 as a 29-year-old man, who was visiting the borough from Spain, was standing on the mezzanine level on the E, M and R line at around 10:25 a.m.
The stranger approached him from behind and proceeded to pull out a knife and slash him across the left side of his neck before running out of the station in an unknown direction, police said.
EMS responded to the crime scene and rushed the victim to Elmhurst Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.
Police from the 108th Precinct in Long Island City and Transit District 20 are hoping the new surveillance image can provide a break in the investigation because it shows him having a smoke outside the Queens Plaza subway station without a mask providing a better look at his face.
The previously released images showed him coming through the turnstile while he was masked up. The alleged slasher is described as a Black man with a medium complexion. He was last seen wearing a black vest over a gray hooded sweatshirt with a black face covering.
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. 18, the 108th Precinct has reported 31 assaults so far in 2024, 5 more than the 26 reported at the same point last year, a 19.2% increase according to the most recent CompStat report.
