QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) — A subway rider stuck a piece of wood out of a moving train and hit four people who were standing on subway platforms in Queens last week, police said Thursday.
The suspect attacked the victims while riding the R train in three separate incidents over the course of 15 minutes on Oct. 5, according to the NYPD.
The man was aboard the train when he reached out and hit a 59-year-old woman in the throat while she was standing on the southbound R subway platform at Grand Avenue at around 12:30 p.m., police said. The woman was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Ten minutes later, the suspect was riding on the R train when he threw a piece of wood at two men waiting for the train at the Elmhurst Avenue station, police said.
The suspect then hit 56-year-old Olivia Wright in the head while she was waiting on the southbound R subway platform at the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue station at 12:42 p.m., authorities said.
Wright told PIX11 News the attack left a large gash on her head and gave her a black eye. She needed stitches for her injuries.
“I thought I had ducked but it hit me in the head. I put my phone in my pocket and felt blood coming down my face,” she said.
Wright said she was on her way out of town but instead of catching her flight, she spent hours in an emergency room. She said she also saw one of the other victims enter the ER.
“It’s disheartening,” she said of the attack. “I’m leery about getting back on the train. I don’t want to get on the train if I don’t have it.”
The suspect remained on the R train after the incidents and fled in an known direction. There have been no arrests.
Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the New York City area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.
