Detectives are examining station and street cameras near Union Turnpike–Kew Gardens as the search widens.
KEW GARDENS, Queens — A man slashed two riders on the southbound E platform at Union Turnpike–Kew Gardens on Wednesday afternoon, injuring both before slipping away into the evening commute, the NYPD said. The back-to-back attacks were reported around 3:15 p.m.
The case has become a priority for the Transit Bureau because of the apparent randomness and the station’s heavy traffic. Police said the victims, ages 42 and 50, did not know the assailant or each other. Both suffered facial wounds and were listed in stable condition at hospitals. Investigators said they were tracing the suspect’s route through the mezzanine and exits along Queens Boulevard and Kew Gardens Road, using footage pulled from transit and private cameras. Detectives have not recovered the weapon and have not identified a motive.
According to police, the attacker first approached a 42-year-old man from behind and cut his forehead as trains approached the platform. Minutes later, a 50-year-old man was slashed across the face on the same platform. The suspect, described as wearing a black jacket, black pants and black shoes, left the platform area without speaking. “It happened so fast, and people just scattered,” said a rider who witnessed the second slashing while waiting for an F train. Service continued with brief delays as officers searched stairways and turnstiles and interviewed riders who had filmed parts of the scene.
Union Turnpike–Kew Gardens links the E and F lines and serves tens of thousands of riders on a typical weekday. The station sits near borough courts and offices, drawing steady foot traffic through multiple entrances. The incident follows a stretch of isolated subway assaults reported this fall, many brief and unpredictable, police and transit officials have said. In those cases, investigators relied on platform cameras and nearby storefront footage to track suspects leaving stations through street-level exits.
By Thursday morning, officers had returned to the station to canvass at the same hour, hoping to find commuters who witnessed the attacks but left before giving statements. If an arrest is made, expected counts include felony assault and criminal possession of a weapon. Officials said they will release clearer stills if they locate higher-resolution video. The department also planned internal briefings through the weekend as detectives coordinate with the local precinct and the Queens District Attorney’s Office.
Commuters described a watchful atmosphere at the station a day later. “There were more uniforms on the mezzanine and people kept space between each other,” said Marisol Rivera, who transfers daily at Union Turnpike. A newsstand clerk near the main entrance said police asked to review exterior footage from late afternoon. “They said they were mapping the route,” he said. Morning service moved normally as officers stood on both platforms and near the turnstiles.
As of Thursday afternoon, no arrest had been announced. Police said the next update would come as detectives complete their video pull from businesses along Queens Boulevard and Kew Gardens Road.
Author note: Last updated November 21, 2025.