Knifeman calling himself ‘Lucifer’ slashes three at NYC’s Grand Central

Knife attacker named ‘Lucifer’ injures three in Grand Central station incident

At the heart of a chaotic scene at New York City’s Grand Central station, a man wielding a machete launched an unprovoked assault on three individuals before being shot dead by police. The attack, which disrupted train services at the country’s busiest rail hub, unfolded as the suspect struck two men and a woman, leaving them with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Authorities identified the assailant as Anthony Griffin, a 44-year-old man with a history of three prior arrests. Despite being confronted by officers, Griffin refused to lower his weapon and referred to himself as Lucifer. His actions began at Vernon Boulevard–Jackson Avenue in Queens, where he boarded the 7 train heading to Grand Central-42 Street station.

According to NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Griffin initially attacked one person on the platform. He then moved to another level, where he targeted two more victims. “The individual was armed with a large knife, described as a machete, and was behaving erratically, repeatedly stating that he was Lucifer,” Tisch stated in a news briefing.

“Innocent people were attacked in a senseless act of violence,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul in a statement following the incident.

Transit officers in the area became aware of the situation at 09:40 EDT (13:40 GMT). After ignoring at least 20 demands to drop the weapon, Griffin advanced toward the officers with the blade raised. One officer fired, wounding him twice, and the suspect was later pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani commended the police for their quick response and announced that body camera footage from the event would be made public. All three victims were transported to hospital with injuries ranging from severe lacerations to head and face wounds, including an open skull fracture in one case.

Despite the severity of the attack, no link to terrorism was detected by investigators. Griffin’s criminal record did not include any documented history of emotionally disturbed behavior, according to Tisch.