NEW YORK – There’s a citywide manhunt for a suspect who has stabbed at least five people at random in Queens, police said Wednesday. 

Three of the attacks happened Wednesday morning in Springfield Gardens. Additional attacks took place Tuesday and on Jan. 8. Police said they are also eyeing the same suspect for a stabbing on a subway in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, as well. 

“We have an unidentified individual who’s walking around the street randomly stabbing people with a hunting knife. There’s no connection between individuals, and it seems to be unprovoked,” NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said. 

Police describe the suspect as 5’9″, in a gray jacket, with black pants, black shoes, and often wears a face mask. 

“Someone knows him [and] he must be stopped. We have to get him off the street,” NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey wrote on X.   

The search for the suspect is intense and it covers much of the city.

The stabbing spree, police said, stretches back to Jan. 8. At 6:20 p.m., a 61-year-old man was stabbed in the lower back at 137th Avenue and 157th Street. 

“In this incident, the suspect actually laughed in the victim’s face after he stabbed him,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said. 

On Tuesday, a 34-year-old woman was stabbed at 158th Street and 134th Avenue. 

Wednesday morning, there were two stabbings back-to-back near Guy Brewer Boulevard at 134th Avenue. The victims were a 41-year-old man and a 74-year-old man. The older victim was helped by Bruce An, who owns a dry cleaning shop nearby. 

“Around 7:30 a.m., one old guy walking in the store, and he needed help,” An said. “I pick up the phone and I called 911… . Later, the cops came in, and they opened his jacket, and behind it there was a lot of blood on his clothes. And then ambulance came.”

The fifth and final incident took place at Parsons Boulevard and Archer Avenue. The victim got into an altercation with the suspect over a seat on the bus. The two then got off the bus, and the suspect stabbed the victim. 

Police are taking a close look at similar crime in Brooklyn Wednesday, A 28-year-old man on a J subway train was stabbed by a man police say matches the description in the queens cases. 

All the people attacked are expected to survive. 

“A lot of kids and older people around here, so you know so hopefully they do catch it,” Springfield Gardens resident Evan Majett said. 

Because the suspect could be on the move to other parts of the city, extra officers are patrolling various transit hubs, including Columbus Circle. There’s police presence on trains, platforms and at the turnstiles. 

Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.  

Dave Carlin

Dave Carlin serves as a reporter for CBS2 News and covers breaking news stories and major events in the Tri-State Area.