5 stabbed in bloody attack inside Penn Station — suspect in custody
Five people were stabbed inside Penn Station on Sunday evening in what witnesses and sources described as random attacks by a deranged man that sent commuters running for their lives.
The knifing rampage began shortly after 7 p.m. at the busy Midtown commuter hub, according to the FDNY — just over 24 hours before President Trump will be directly above the transit center, at Madison Square Garden, for Game 3 between the Knicks and Spurs.
Five victims were rushed to Bellevue Hospital, including one person with serious injuries, two people with moderate injuries, and two others with minor injuries, fire officials said.
Victims screamed in agony, and crowds of terrified commuters ran for safety, trying not to get trampled as the madman launched the random attacks against strangers waiting for their trains home, witnesses told The Post.
An unidentified suspect is in custody, authorities added. The individual is believed to be emotionally disturbed and homeless, according to sources.
An Amtrak spokesperson confirmed to The Post that Amtrak police responded to the stabbing and apprehended the suspect.
A picture posted to social media showed a group of cops pinning an individual to the floor of the station.
“This guy stabbed somebody in Penn Station,” witness Brandon Norwood, who took the photo, wrote. “People were flooding out of the station.”
Norwood was waiting to take a 7:04 p.m. train home when he saw the suspect stab someone by Track 1 of the NJ Transit boarding area — and said chaos immediately broke out.
“I saw him stab one person, and once [the victim] started screaming, everyone ran. Someone fell, and I had to help them up so they weren’t next or trampled,” Norwood said.
“It all happened so fast,” he said. “It’s gonna stay with me.”
A worker at Penn Station who wished to remain anonymous said he received calls to shut down the area and arrived to find two wounded men and the floors covered in blood.
“I got calls to start closing the station,” he said. “It was real bloody, there was a lot of blood on the floor.”
The worker added that he saw one victim with bandages on his head who “looked like he was hurt pretty bad,” and another with what appeared to be a scratch to his neck.
“It’s New York City. Things like that happen, unfortunately, it happened down here. I can’t say it happens here a lot because it doesn’t … it’s a good place here, people trying to get home.
“I’m just glad it wasn’t anything crazier than what it was.”
An employee at a food vendor inside Penn Station said a huge rush of people came running from the knife-wielding brute — who was eventually tackled by police after a cop called for backup.
“I saw people running, nothing else. They were terrified. I saw how one officer managed to tackle the person [the suspect] down,” he said.
“I’m working here, and so not only me, my co-workers too, my supervisor over there is working, so … we’re terrified because it’s about our own safety as well,” he added.
Other New Yorkers said the randomness of the stabbing in a major public place unnerved them the most.
“You can be standing there waiting for your train and the next thing you know is you’re waking up in the hospital with one of your eyes gone,” Nia Carrington, 52, told The Post.
The Hamilton Heights resident added that the area around Penn Station particularly has her on edge.
“This part of town is just so full of mentally ill people, people off their meds, people on drugs wandering around like they’re on another planet. And every once in a while, they have a knife in their pocket,” she said.
Mateo DeJesús, of Bushwick, was inside the transit hub when people started stampeding and he knew he had to rush out too.
“Everyone’s putting their life on the line getting on a train. That’s the reality. You get used to it,” said DeJesús, 27. “You just hope you’re not in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Today, five people stabbed, tomorrow the president of the United States is coming in to watch the Knicks right here. It’s f–king chaos around here,” said 24-year-old Yandel Mercado, of Newark.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote on X that he’s been briefed on the “horrific” attack.
“I’ve been briefed on the horrific stabbing at Penn Station. Based on the information available right now, six people were stabbed and the alleged perpetrator is in custody following a swift response from the Amtrak Police Department,” Mamdani wrote.
“My heart is with everyone who was injured, their loved ones, and all those shaken by this unacceptable violence. I’m wishing each of the victims a full and speedy recovery.”
Sources said the suspect was also wounded during the rampage — accounting for the sixth injured.
“Tonight, five people were senselessly attacked at Penn Station in an act of horrific violence,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement.
“Thank you to the law enforcement officers and first responders whose swift actions prevented further harm.”
The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
