Moment NYC subway rider is slashed by passenger carrying a knife on a lanyard in daylight attack
- Diana Quinonez, 29, was on the 7 train when she was attacked on Wednesday
- She said a man got angry at her because she was standing too close to him
- She captured video of the moment the man unfolded a knife and swung it at her
- She was sliced on the left arm and is now scared to get back on the subway
A woman was slashed by a man with a knife hanging on a lanyard, after he allegedly accused her of getting too close to him on a New York City subway.
Diana Quinonez, 29, a construction worker from Queens, was attacked by an unidentified man while they were on a southbound 7 train at the Roosevelt Ave.-Jackson Heights station in Queens around 4.30pm Wednesday.
‘I got in and grabbed a pole that was next to him,’ Quinonez told the New York Daily News. ‘From what I understand, I upset him, and he told me “move, f**k you, move.”‘
NYC woman Diana Quinonez, 29, was slashed by a man (pictured) who had a knife on a lanyard after he allegedly accused her of standing too close to him on the subway
Quinonez said that nobody tried to intervene when the man barked at her and kicked her.
She then used her video camera to record him as he attacked her, at which point he took his folding knife – hanging from a lanyard – and slashed her left arm with it.
In the video, which was released by the NYPD, the man can be seen wearing a face mask as he sits on the train. He gestures aggressively at her before opening the folding knife and using his hold on the lanyard to swing the blade at her.
Quinonez then exited the train while suspect remained inside the train, police told the newspaper.
Quinonez used her cell phone to record video of the man as he attacked her. He appears to be opening the folding knife he was carrying in this image
The man then stands up to approach Quinonez (left) and is pictured after swinging the knife at her. The knife (circled in red) can be seen hanging from a lanyard
Despite the slashed arm, she refused further medical attention at the 82nd Street station, ABC 7 reported.
Authorities are now seeking help in identifying the suspect.
Quinonez told the newspaper that she is scared to get back on the train, which she needs to use to get to her construction sites.
‘Truthfully I can’t, I don’t want to go to work,’ Quinonez said, noting that she didn’t go to work on Thursday or Friday, the two days following the attack, ‘For fear… I think I don’t have safety here.’
Quinonez said that she is considering moving back to Paraguay, her home country, while her ex-boyfriend told the newspaper that the attack has made her scared to go outside.
Anyone with information about the suspect’s identity is asked to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.