A Bronx man is being held without bail after he was charged with murder for the fatal stabbing of a Corona man on a rush-hour J train in Woodhaven in an unprovoked attack late last month.
Jyrell Thomas, 25, of Trinity Avenue in the Melrose section of the South Bronx, was arraigned Monday in Queens Criminal Court on a criminal complaint charging him with murder in the second degree and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon for allegedly stabbing 59-year-old Mesias Lojano to death on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
Thomas allegedly entered the packed subway car and stood alone on the northbound J train as it approached the Woodhaven Boulevard subway station at approximately 5:20 p.m. when he pulled out a knife and randomly targeted Lojano, stabbing him repeatedly as other passengers fled onto the platform and out of the station.
“As alleged, this defendant caused mayhem on a rush hour train when he fatally stabbed a fellow passenger who was minding his own business and had no prior interaction with the perpetrator,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
According to the charges and investigation, at approximately 5 p.m. on Sept. 30, Thomas boarded a Queens-bound J train at the Broadway Junction station in Brooklyn. At around 5:15 p.m., as the train approached the elevated platform above the intersection of Jamaica Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard, Thomas allegedly screamed loudly, produced a knife and repeatedly stabbed Lojano, a father of four originally from Cuenca, Ecuador.
When the subway doors opened, Thomas ran from the scene, dropping his weapon along the way. Fellow subway riders chased after Thomas for two blocks. Police from the 102nd Precinct responded to a 911 call reporting the J train stabbing and apprehended Thomas on the roof of a detached garage to escape the mob that chased him.
Thomas was apprehended atop a garage while trying to escape a group of J train riders who chased him through the streets of Woodhaven. Screenshot via Reddit
EMS responded to the scene and transported the wounded construction worker to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition. Lojano succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead with stab wounds to his chest, neck, lip and back.
Police later recovered two kitchen knives — one broken knife left on the subway car floor and a second knife with blood on its blade allegedly dropped down the subway stairs by Thomas as he fled the station.
“All New Yorkers want, and deserve, to ride our mass transit system safely and without fear,” Katz said. “I thank the good Samaritans who chased the assailant after the attack and our partners at the NYPD for quickly apprehending the defendant.”
Queens Criminal Court Judge Indira D. Khan remanded Thomas into custody without bail. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
“We will seek justice for the victims and his loved ones,” Katz said.
Lojano’s four children in Corona launched a fundraiser to cover the cost of their father’s burial. Photo courtesy of GoFundMe
Lojano’s four heartbroken children, William, Laura, Darwin and Edwin, launched a GoFundMe account to help cover the costs of his funeral, burial and related expenses.