A homeless man, reportedly suffering from mental illness, openly confessed to a series of violent attacks at a Queens subway station, according to statements made by prosecutors on Saturday. The suspect, Tyquan Manassa, 27, acknowledged his actions during police questioning, admitting to slashing two individuals and assaulting another in a brief but violent spree.
When detectives presented Manassa with surveillance footage from the Manhattan-bound E train platform at the Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike station, he promptly identified himself, saying, “Yeah, that’s me.” The incidents unfolded on Wednesday afternoon, as reported by a police source familiar with the investigation.
Manassa explained his actions to investigators, attributing the attacks to “having a bad day.” According to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, within just 15 minutes, Manassa had launched unprovoked attacks on three strangers, inflicting fear and chaos on the platform.
District Attorney Katz emphasized the severity of the situation, stating, “This random violence is every commuter’s worst nightmare, and we will aggressively prosecute those who cause mayhem on our mass transit system.” She highlighted the victims’ innocence, noting that they were merely waiting for their train in Kew Gardens when Manassa approached and attacked them without warning.
Katz also expressed gratitude towards bystanders who intervened to help the victims, praising the “good Samaritans” who immediately offered assistance after the “senseless attack.”
Katz thanked the good Samaritans “who rushed to aid their fellow commuters immediately after this senseless attack.”
Manassa is facing multiple counts of assault and one count of criminal possession of a weapon. If convicted, he’s facing up to 25 years in prison.
Queens Criminal Court Judge Anthony Battisti ordered Manassa held on $200,000 bail during a brief arraignment hearing Friday night.
The homeless man, who was living at a shelter on Randall’s Island, was on the train platform at around 3:10 p.m. when he stormed up and repeatedly struck a 42-year-old man with a knife, cutting his ear and forehead.
He then slapped a bystander in the face before running off down the platform, where he struck Kew Gardens resident Carlos Plasencia, with a knife, cutting him above his eyebrow.
Plasencia, 50, was on his way to work at a Manhattan restaurant when he was attacked.
“He was yelling, ‘What’s up? What’s up?’ He looked like he was high, and he was just attacking people for no reason,” Plasencia told the Daily News. “At that point … I just thought, ‘I have to make it home. I have to be home.’ I’m a father of four, so you know, I was just trying to make it home.”
Doctors used seven stitches to close the gash above Plasencia’s eye. Manassa’s first victim needed 16 stitches, prosecutors said.
Manassa ran off, but cops collected surveillance footage of the attacker, asking anyone with information about his whereabouts to come forward.
Within a day, Manassa was arrested for criminal mischief inside the Randall’s Island shelter where he was staying, a police source said. As officers took him into custody, they realized he was wanted for the slashing spree.
Police said Manassa has been arrested over a dozen times dating back to 2014, mostly for misdemeanor assaults and criminal mischief.
He also suffers from mental and emotional outbursts, the police source said, adding that, over the years, cops have been repeatedly asked to bring him to a hospital for psychological evaluations. It was not immediately clear if he has a diagnosed mental illness.
