A man armed with a knife attacked three people at Grand Central Station, the main subway terminal in New York. The suspect, identified as Antony Griffin, 44, was killed by police. Three people were attacked, but were taken to hospital and are not at risk of death.
Information was released by New York City’s Police Commissioner, Jessica Tisch, who defended and praised the police’s response. Tisch stated that it was a random attack, not tied to any group or cause.
Read also: Police arrest 212 protesters in London at a rally against the veto on a pro-Palestine group
According to the commissioner, Griffin boarded a train in the Queens neighborhood, a more distant area, around 9:30 a.m. Shortly after 9:40 a.m., a civilian alerted two officers who were at Grand Central Station that a man was attacking people with a knife on the subway platform.
The officers went to the scene. On the way, they encountered one of the victims fleeing up the stairs. Upon arriving at the platform, they found Griffin and determined that he was wielding a machete (a type of large knife). The officers tried to calm him, but he shouted: “I am Lucifer.” At one point, he lunged toward the officers, who shot him twice and provided first aid. Griffin was taken to the hospital, where he died.
Read also: Pope Leo calls for an end to the “war madness” as the U.S. and Iran begin talks
The three victims are hospitalized, but not at risk. All had injuries to the head and shoulders. One of the victims, the commissioner said, was nearly scalped. The victims are two men, aged 84 and 65, and a 70-year-old woman.
The Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul (a Democrat), called the episode a “senseless act of violence” and said she was grateful to the police, who quickly stopped the attack. The Mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, also thanked the police for their swift response, which prevented greater harm. The mayor stated that police cameras recorded the incident.
Controversies about Police in the Subway
Mamdani, who became mayor of New York City in 2026, had been criticized for his security policy, which shifted more officers to the city’s transit system. In a New York Times series in which residents send questions to the mayor, Mamdani was harshly criticized for the decision, with some saying that streets would be less safe with officers “standing on the platforms,” according to one interviewee cited by the newspaper.
According to the commissioner, 175 officers were reassigned to work within the subway system this morning.
