A homeless man is accused of stabbing an E train rider in Jamaica on Saturday, Nov. 22, after the victim complained of his noisy cellphone conversation.
Johnny Wood, 50, who lives in a shelter on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, is being held without bail after he was arraigned Nov. 25 in Queens Criminal Court on charges of attempted murder in the second degree, assault in the first degree and criminal possession of a weapon.
According to the charges and investigation, on Nov. 22, at around 11 a.m., Wood and his 54-year-old victim were on a World Trade Center-bound E train at the Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer subway station waiting to depart. The victim confronted Wood and asked him to stop talking loudly on his cell phone and the two men became engaged in a verbal dispute. The argument escalated into violence when Wood allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim once in his ribcage. Wood got off the train while it was still in the station and ran off in an unknown direction.
EMS transported the victim to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was treated for fractures to his ribs, a stab wound to his ribcage, and an injury to his chest cavity.
The NYPD arrested Wood in Brooklyn on Nov. 25 and transported back to Queens, where he was booked at the 107th Precinct.
“Every New Yorker knows how important it is to be able to travel on mass transit safely,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “Our subways need to be a viable option so that the city can thrive. Altercations cannot be resolved through violence.”
Queens Criminal Court Judge Sharifa Nasser-Cuellar remanded Wood into custody without bail and ordered him to return to court on Nov. 28. If convicted of the top count, Wood faces up to 25 years in prison.
“As alleged, the defendant got into an altercation with another rider and stabbed him in the ribcage, causing life-threatening injuries,” Katz said. “He is now charged with attempted murder and other crimes.”
