Knifeman calling himself ‘Lucifer’ slashes three at NYC’s Grand Central

Machete Attacker Identifies as ‘Lucifer’ Injures Three at Grand Central Station

At around 09:40 EDT (13:40 GMT), a 44-year-old man armed with a machete attacked three individuals at New York City’s Grand Central station. Despite repeated commands to lower the weapon, the assailant, who referred to himself as Lucifer, continued his assault, leading to a fatal shooting by law enforcement.

The victims included an 84-year-old man with severe head and facial lacerations, a 65-year-old man suffering from similar injuries and an open skull fracture, and a 70-year-old woman with shoulder wounds. According to NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the suspect boarded the 7 train from Vernon Boulevard–Jackson Avenue in Queens, where he initiated the attack on the platform before moving upstairs to target two additional victims.

“The individual was armed with a large knife, described as a machete, and was behaving erratically, repeatedly stating that he was Lucifer,” said Tisch.

Two transit officers nearby responded swiftly, discharging their weapons after the suspect ignored over 20 orders to drop the machete and charged toward them with the blade raised. The attacker was later pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital following emergency treatment.

All three victims were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. New York Governor Kathy Hochul called the incident a ‘senseless act of violence’ against innocent individuals, while Mayor Zohran Mamdani commended the officers for their quick reaction. The police also confirmed that there was no indication of a terrorist link in the attack, and the suspect had a history of three previous arrests but no prior EDP reports.