FILE – Two police officers investigate a crime scene in a subway car.
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Police say they have charged the man allegedly responsible for stabbing a commuter to death on a Queens train platform Wednesday.
Cops say 25-year-old Gyrel Thomas of the Bronx was cuffed on 96th Street and Jamaica Avenue soon after the deadly attack when a witness pointed him out to police. He has been charged with criminal possession of a weapon and murder. He remains hospitalized for a psychological evaluation.
The attack all stemmed from a dispute the pair had while riding a southbound J at around 5:20 p.m. Sources say Thomas, who is believed to be emotionally disturbed, picked an argument with the 59-year-old straphanger as the train entered the Woodhaven Boulevard Station.
When both men exited the train and reached the platform, Thomas allegedly pulled out a kitchen knife and stabbed him in the chest and neck before making a run for it.
The victim, whose identity is being withheld pending proper family notification, was rushed to Jamaica Hospital, where he could not be saved and was pronounced dead.