Man charged in deadly subway stabbing in Queens, police say
By Elijah Westbrook, Andrew Ramos, Alice Gainer
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NEW YORK, New York (WCBS) — A man is facing charges for allegedly stabbing to death a married father of six on a subway train in Woodhaven, Queens, police said.
Bronx resident Jyrell Thomas, 25, was charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon in Wednesday’s alleged attack, which happened at around 5:30 p.m. on a northbound J train, according to police.
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 at one point said there had been a verbal dispute, but they now say the attack was unprovoked, and there was no prior interaction between Thomas and Lojano on the train.
Surveillance video taken from nearby shows commuters rushing down the station’s stairs around the time of the stabbing. A person wearing all black is seen walking down the stairs and crossing the street. Then a group of people run after the individual.
Witness Bismark Villareyna recorded a video of the suspect as he chased the man.
“He came towards me. So with the phone in my hand … There was another guy behind me yelling, ‘Stop, stop,’ so he saw two people and then he started running,” he said.
He added, “I wasn’t running by myself and I was screaming, then all the guys join.”
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,” Benenson said.
It took police less than 10 minutes to arrive, Benenson said.
“There was a time he went, ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to,'” Villareyna 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.
Lojano’s son, William, told CBS News New York by phone in Spanish that his father was a man of faith and a hard worker, adding he worked in Brooklyn and would take the train or bus home to Queens.
He also said Lojano didn’t have a problem with anyone, which is what makes his killing that much worse.
Police said Thomas has one prior arrest, for petit larceny in September 2026 in the Bronx. The motive in this incident remains unclear.
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