Man Pleads Guilty To Slashing At Grand Central, Prosecutors Say

MIDTOWN, NY — A Brooklyn man has pleaded guilty to a violent, unprovoked attack inside Grand Central Terminal on Christmas Eve 2024, Manhattan prosecutors said Thursday.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Jason Sargeant, 29, admitted in state Supreme Court to first-degree assault in connection with the attack, which left a 42-year-old man seriously injured and a second victim hurt during a chaotic scene in the subway station.

According to court documents and statements made during the plea, the incident unfolded around 10:10 p.m. on Dec. 24, 2024, on the 4/5/6 subway platform inside Grand Central.

Prosecutors said Sargeant was waving a knife and frightening a group of riders, who fled the platform. He then moved upstairs into the mezzanine, where he encountered a 42-year-old man sitting and waiting for his girlfriend.

Sargeant slashed the man’s left wrist, causing heavy bleeding, a deep cut, and nerve and muscle damage, authorities said.

The indictment also alleges Sargeant struck a 26-year-old woman in the back of the head as she exited a turnstile before lunging at her neck with the knife, cutting her and causing bleeding.

Sargeant then took an escalator up to the concourse, where officers with the MTA Police Department apprehended him. A bloody knife was recovered from his jacket pocket, prosecutors said.

"Millions of New Yorkers and tourists use our bustling subway system every day, and they deserve to feel safe while doing so. Jason Sargeant is facing time in state prison for his unprovoked attack in Grand Central Station," Bragg said. "We will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to drive down transit crime."

Under the terms of the plea, Sargeant is expected to be sentenced on May 7 to eight years in state prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision.

For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.