In a shocking incident at New York City’s Grand Central Station, three elderly individuals fell victim to a machete-wielding assailant who identified himself as ‘Lucifer.’ This violent episode unfolded on Saturday morning.
Authorities have named the attacker as 44-year-old Anthony Griffin, who was subsequently shot dead by police during the chaos.
The injured victims, an 84-year-old man, a 65-year-old man, and a 70-year-old woman, were reported to have serious but non-life-threatening wounds. All were taken to local hospitals and are currently in stable condition, as reported by the New York Post.
Griffin began his rampage after boarding a 7 train in Queens around 9:30 a.m., arriving at Grand Central about ten minutes later. Upon disembarking, he viciously attacked an elderly man on the platform, inflicting severe lacerations to the head.
He then ascended to the northbound 4, 5, and 6 platform, where he continued his attack on a 65-year-old man, causing similar head injuries and an open skull fracture, as well as slashing a 70-year-old woman’s shoulder.
Two NYPD detectives, responding to a civilian alert and locating one of the victims, confronted Griffin on the 4, 5, 6 platform. He was reportedly acting erratically, repeatedly proclaiming that he was ‘Lucifer’ and wielding a machete.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated that the officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, offering help and issuing over 20 commands to drop the weapon. Griffin, however, did not comply and instead approached the officers with the knife aimed outward.
As a result, one officer fired at Griffin, hitting him twice. He was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Anthony Griffin, the “maniac” (as described by the @nypost) who slashed three elderly people with a machete — while calling himself “Lucifer” — in an unprovoked attack at Grand Central Terminal this morning, and was shot dead by the police. Griffin had 13 prior arrests, including… pic.twitter.com/fntGFdwRsL
— Crime In NYC (@Crime_In_NYC) April 11, 2026
Investigators have categorized the attacks as random acts of violence with no ties to terrorism. Despite having three prior unsealed arrests in New York City, Griffin had no known history of mental illness according to police.
The incident was recorded on body cameras, and the NYPD plans to release this footage following its internal review, as per department regulations regarding officer-involved shootings.
Following this alarming event, subway services on the 4, 5, 6, and 7 lines were suspended at Grand Central temporarily, but resumed once the situation was deemed safe. NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani publicly thanked the NYPD for their swift response and confirmed that the victims are now stable.
