NYPD apprehends suspect in Queens stabbing spree, charging him with attempted murder

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has successfully apprehended and charged 27-year-old Jermaine Rigueur of Rochdale with three counts of attempted murder, four counts of assault, four counts of criminal possession of a weapon, and attempted assault. The charges stem from five separate, unprovoked stabbing attacks that occurred in Queens, according to officials.

The first incident unfolded on January 8 at approximately 6:20 p.m. near the intersection of 157th Street and 137th Avenue in Rochdale. The assailant targeted a 61-year-old man, marking the onset of the disturbing spree. Subsequent attacks occurred in the same neighborhood, with the suspect allegedly stabbing a 34-year-old woman near 158th Street and 134th Avenue just after midnight on Tuesday.

Surveillance footage from a nearby business revealed the suspect wielding a hunting knife during the second attack. Two additional assaults transpired on the morning of the following day in the same vicinity. The suspect targeted a 74-year-old man walking his wife to work on 134th Avenue and later stabbed a 41-year-old man near 161st Street, leaving both victims injured but expected to survive.

A fifth attack unfolded at Parsons Boulevard and Archer Avenue in Jamaica, where the suspect stabbed a 36-year-old man following a verbal dispute over a bus seat. Despite the severity of the incidents, Chief of Detectives Kenny assured the public that all victims are expected to survive their injuries.

During a briefing on Wednesday, NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban condemned the attacks as “senseless, unprovoked.” Furthermore, police are investigating a potential link between these Queens stabbings and a separate incident on a northbound J train in Williamsburg, though no conclusive connection has been established at this time.