A random stabbing spree in Grand Central Station in New York City on Christmas Eve has left two people wounded. Fox News reports the suspect, 28-year-old Jason Sargeant from Brooklyn, was arrested for the attack and is now in custody.
The two victims included one 26-year-old woman who was slashed in the neck and a 42-year-old man who suffered a slash to his wrist. The man was attacked first while on the stairs leading to the southbound entrance of the station. According to Fox News, the suspect allegedly slashed the man’s wrist after an argument.
The female victim, Imani-Ciara Pizarro was allegedly attacked by the suspect while near a turnstile. According to Fox News, the suspect reportedly confronted the woman before she was punched in the face and then attacked with a slash to her neck.
Pizarro told The New York Post, “I wish I could be able to travel to my livelihood and not be attacked. I wish there were cops in Grand Central when I was attacked, there were none. I was running for help and there was no one there.”
Both victims were taken to the hospital and are said to be in stable condition.
Police responded to the situation after receiving a call shortly before 10:15 p.m. reporting the assault. A knife was recovered at the scene.
According to Fox News, “Sargeant was charged with two counts of first degree assault, two counts of first degree reckless endangerment, and several second degree counts for menacing, criminal possession of a weapon, harassment, and disorderly conduct.”
“Sargeant has three prior arrests for criminal mischief, fare beating, and assaulting a police officer, according to sources,” The Post reports.
In Sargeant’s court appearance the following day, he reportedly called out for his mom after spotting her. The officers dragged the suspect out of the courtroom as he shouted, “Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait!”
This latest attack follows the harrowing news that a woman died after being lit on fire by an illegal immigrant while on a Brooklyn subway. According to Fox News, the suspect, “Sebastian Zapeta, 33, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, was charged with first- and second-degree murder, as well as first-degree arson.” Zapeta reportedly sat and watched while his victim burned to her death.
Just hours after the terrible attack that killed the woman, New York Governor Kathy Hochul touted the safety of New York City’s subways in a widely criticized post.
“In March, I took action to make our subways safer for the millions of people who take the trains each day,” Hochul’s post read. “Since deploying the @NationalGuardNY to support @NYPDnews and @MTA safety efforts and adding cameras to all subway cars, crime is going down, and ridership is going up,” she wrote in her post, Fox News reports.
Crime in New York City has been grabbing headlines over the past few years as danger continues to lurk on the streets. Crime spiked after thousands of illegal immigrants arrived in the city as they flooded into the country through the Biden administration’s wide open southern border. Among them were members of the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, who reportedly gained a stronghold in the city as well as others.
The mayor also garnered attention as he vowed to work with the incoming Trump administration on the illegal immigration crisis. According to Fox News, Adams even said that he does not care if he gets ‘canceled’ for working with the administration.
“I’m not going to be warring with this administration, I’m going to be working with this administration,” Adams said. “President Trump is the president-elect. And whomever he chooses to run his agencies. I’m looking forward to sitting down and see how do we better New York.”
“I believe I have some ideas that could deal with this issue,” Adams continued, adding “we can reach what the American people have been saying to us: secure our borders, address the people who are committing violent acts in our country and make sure that … our citizens are going to be safe.”