Police charged a 25-year-old Bronx man with murder after Mesias Lojano, 59, was killed during an evening subway ride.
NEW YORK CITY, NY — Subway riders chased a man through Queens and helped police locate him after a 59-year-old passenger was fatally stabbed aboard a J train, authorities and witnesses said. Police later charged 25-year-old Jyrell Thomas of the Bronx with murder and criminal possession of a weapon in the death of Mesias Lojano.
The attack occurred Wednesday evening, Sept. 30, on a northbound J train near the Woodhaven Boulevard station in Queens. Police initially gave differing accounts of whether an argument preceded the violence, but later reports citing investigators said Thomas and Lojano had no prior interaction and described the attack as unprovoked. Authorities have not publicly identified a motive.
Police responding to the station found Lojano unconscious and unresponsive after he had been stabbed multiple times. Emergency medical workers took him to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Investigators recovered a knife in connection with the attack, according to police and published reports.
Surveillance and witness video captured part of the aftermath. Footage showed passengers rushing from the elevated station as a man dressed in dark clothing left the area. Several riders then followed the man along Jamaica Avenue after witnesses identified him as the suspected attacker.
Bismarck Villareyna, who recorded portions of the incident and pursuit, told local news organizations that he began following after another person called for the fleeing man to be stopped. Villareyna said other people joined the pursuit as it continued away from the station. He said he kept his distance because he feared being injured if he tried to physically intervene.
Another witness, David Benenson, told CBS News New York that he and other people followed the man as he moved through the neighborhood and eventually climbed onto a rooftop. Benenson said several people remained in the area while waiting for officers to arrive. Witnesses helped direct police toward the man, according to the reports.
Police took Thomas into custody after the pursuit. He was later taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation before being arrested on charges of murder and criminal possession of a weapon, according to police. The charges are accusations, and the available reports did not establish the outcome of any court proceedings against him.
Lojano’s son, William, told CBS News New York that his father was a married father of six, a man of faith and a hard worker. He said Lojano worked in Brooklyn and regularly used public transportation to return home to Queens. A longtime neighbor also described Lojano to NY1 as a good neighbor who was close to his son.
The killing was the sixth homicide reported in New York City’s subway system in 2026, according to police figures cited by local news organizations. Four subway homicides were recorded during all of 2025, compared with 10 in 2024. The figures provide broader context for the investigation but do not establish a cause or pattern behind the attack on Lojano.
Police have said the investigation remains ongoing. Thomas faces murder and weapon charges, while authorities have not publicly announced a motive for the attack. Witness accounts and video showing riders following the suspect became an important part of the immediate response, helping officers locate the man after he fled the station.
Author note: Last updated October 4, 2026.