A Bronx man has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly stabbing a 23-year-old woman in an unprovoked attack inside a subway station in Queens on Sunday night, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Tuesday.
Randol Contreras, 24, of Woodlawn Heights, is facing a list of charges, including second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, two counts of first-degree attempted robbery and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Contreras was arraigned and remanded Monday, a day after he attacked his victim, leaving her with multiple injuries and near death. He is currently in custody and is due back in court on Aug. 2.
According to the police investigation, on July 28 at around 8:30 p.m., Contreras approached the young woman on the mezzanine level of the Jamaica-Van Wyck station on the E line in Richmond Hill, when he then allegedly asked her for money.
He is accused of then stabbing the woman multiple times in torso, leaving her with a punctured liver and lung, and a slashed face, Katz said in a statement to the media.
Officers from the 102nd Precinct and the NYPD Transit Bureau, in responding to a 911 call about the incident, found the victim bloodied from the attack.
She was rushed to nearby Jamaica Hospital, where she is recovering from the attack, authorities said.
“We have charged Randol Contreras with attempted murder,” the D.A. said. “A young woman is fighting for her life after being stabbed in an unprovoked attack as she exited the subway system. Millions of New Yorkers rely on our mass transit system, and we will aggressively prosecute those that commit violence on our subways.”
According to ABC 7, two good Samaritans were able to hold the suspect until police arrived on scene.
The violent attack took place after city officials in April reported a 6% decrease in subway crime year to date compared to the same time in 2023.