The 9:40 a.m. rampage captured on body-cam
Anthony Griffin, 44, boarded the Manhattan-bound 7 train at Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue in Queens at 9:30 a.m. Saturday and began slashing riders once the doors opened at Grand Central-42nd Street, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. Surveillance video shows Griffin first slicing an 84-year-old man on the 7 platform, then climbing the stairs to the 4/5/6 level where he fractured the skull of a 65-year-old man and slashed a 70-year-old woman across the shoulder. All three victims were hospitalized in stable condition with injuries Tisch described as “serious but not life-threatening,” including one skull fracture and multiple facial lacerations.
Officers fired twice after de-escalation failed
Two transit officers already inside the station rushed toward the commotion at 9:40 a.m. after a civilian flagged them down. Body-worn cameras recorded Griffin pacing with a machete, repeating “I am Lucifer,” while officers issued at least 20 verbal commands to drop the weapon, offered medical help, and backed away, Tisch said. Griffin advanced with the blade extended; one officer fired twice, striking him in the torso. Officers immediately rendered aid, but Griffin was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital. No officers were injured.
Suspect had three prior arrests, no EDP flag
Griffin’s criminal history includes three prior unsealed arrests, yet the NYPD had never filed an “emotionally disturbed person” report on him, Tisch confirmed. Investigators have found no evidence that Griffin knew any of the victims; police are treating the assaults as random. The department’s Hate Crimes Task Force reviewed the case and found no link to terrorism.
Commuters evacuated, trains bypassed for hours
The MTA suspended 4, 5, 6, and 7 train service through Grand Central while the NYPD closed the 42nd Street entrance, issuing bus vouchers to stranded riders. Beau Lardner, 34, told the AP he heard gunshots “loud enough to hear through headphones” and saw “a wall of people” surge toward the turnstiles. Service resumed early Saturday afternoon after crime-scene units cleared both platforms.
City and state leaders promise transparency
Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a statement praising the officers’ “quick response” and pledged to release the body-camera footage “as the NYPD does in all firearm-discharge incidents.” Governor Kathy Hochul said she was briefed and is “grateful to our brave officers who acted quickly to stop the suspect.” The NYPD’s Force Investigation Division will review the shooting under standard protocol.
Transit advocates demand mental-health teams
Passengers United president Charlton D'Souza stood outside the reopened station entrance and argued that armed patrols alone cannot prevent similar attacks. “You need clinicians, you need psychologists, and you need them down there to help them,” he said, noting that riders who witness such violence often abandon the subway. The department recently added 175 officers to subway patrol, a move Tisch cited as “exactly why we expanded our presence.”
