January 21, 2026 QUEENS, NY The quiet of a holiday afternoon was shattered by a scream at the Seneca Avenue subway station in Ridgewood this past Monday. What started as a confusing question ended in a spray of blood, leaving a 16-year-old boy scarred and a community looking over their shoulders.
A Random Encounter Turned Deadly
At approximately 3 p.m. on January 19—a day meant for honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—a teenage boy was simply trying to enter the M line station. He was approached by a stranger who initiated a chillingly vague conversation, reportedly asking the boy if he "knew someone."
Before the victim could even process the question, the verbal exchange turned into a physical nightmare. The suspect pulled out a box cutter and viciously slashed the teenager across the back of the head.
The Great Escape
As the boy collapsed, the attacker didn't hesitate. He fled the station on foot, disappearing into the Ridgewood streets before the police could arrive. Officers from the 104th Precinct and Transit District 33 flooded the area, but the predator had already vanished.
The young victim was rushed to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center. While he is currently in stable condition, the psychological trauma of such a brazen daylight attack is far from over.
