QUEENS, NY. (THECOUNT) — Jyrell Thomas, 25, of the Bronx, has been charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the fatal stabbing of Mesias Lojano, 59, aboard a subway train in Queens, New York City, according to police.
The deadly incident occurred around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday aboard a northbound J train near the Woodhaven Boulevard station in Queens.
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Police said Lojano was stabbed multiple times in the neck and chest. Officers responding to the Woodhaven Boulevard station found him unconscious and unresponsive.
Lojano was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police now say the attack was unprovoked and that Thomas and Lojano had no prior interaction aboard the train.
After the stabbing, Thomas allegedly fled from the area. Surveillance video showed commuters rushing from the station as a person dressed in black walked down the station stairs and crossed a nearby street.
Witness David Benenson told CBS New York that he and several other people followed the alleged attacker after identifying him. Benenson said the man climbed onto a roof, moved into another alley and climbed onto another roof before several people surrounded him and waited for police to arrive.
Benenson said officers arrived in less than 10 minutes. Thomas was subsequently taken into custody and charged in connection with the killing.
A knife was recovered at the scene, according to police.
Thomas also has a prior arrest for petit larceny in the Bronx in September 2026, according to police.
The case remains under investigation by the New York City Police Department. The charges against Thomas are allegations, and the case will proceed through the Queens criminal court system.
The stabbing occurred at the Woodhaven Boulevard subway station in Queens, one of New York City’s five boroughs. The station serves the J and Z lines and is located in the Woodhaven neighborhood near Queens Boulevard.
Google Maps: Woodhaven Boulevard Subway Station, Queens, NY
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