Man charged in deadly subway stabbing in Queens, police say

A man has been charged for allegedly stabbing and killing a man on a subway train in Woodhaven, Queens, police said. 

Bronx resident Jyrell Thomas, 25, was charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon, according to police. 

The deadly incident happened around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday on a northbound J train.

Officers said Mesias Lojano, 59, was stabbed multiple times in the neck and chest. He was found unconscious and unresponsive at the Woodhaven Boulevard station. Lojano was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Police now say the attack was unprovoked, and there was no prior interaction between Thomas and Lojano on the train. 

Surveillance video nearby showed commuters rushing down the station's stairs around the time of the stabbing. A person wearing all black was seen walking down the stairs and crossing the street. Then a group of people ran after the individual, the video shows. 

Witness David Benenson said he and others followed the alleged attacker down the street before the man climbed a roof.

"He goes up onto this one roof. He then goes into another alley and onto another roof. And then me and a couple of guys are surrounding him for a few minutes until the cops get there," he said. 

It took police less than 10 minutes to arrive, Benenson said. 

A knife was recovered at the scene.  

One woman who rides the J train said incidents like this are why she stays cautious.

"That's nothing new on the train. If you travel on the train then you know that," she said.

Thomas has one prior arrest for petit larceny in September 2026 in the Bronx, according to police.