Ecuadorian Killed on New York Subway: Family of Cuenca Man, 59, Demands Justice
CRIME · ECUADOR
Key Facts
- —The country Ecuador. Mesías Lojano, 59, came from Turi, a parish of the city of Cuenca, Metro Ecuador reported on 2 October. He lived in Corona, Queens, police said.
- —What happened He was stabbed four times on a J train near Woodhaven Boulevard station, Queens, on Wednesday 30 September and died in hospital, the Daily News and Gothamist reported.
- —Who is involved Jyrell Thomas, 25, of the Bronx, was charged on 1 October with murder and criminal possession of a weapon, police said. He has not been convicted.
- —What it means for you Police say the men were strangers and the attack appeared unprovoked. Subway killings stay rare: six so far in 2026, ABC7 reported on 2 October, citing police figures.
- —Still open What set off the attack, the outcome of the suspect’s psychiatric evaluation and any court date. No statement from Ecuador’s consulate had been reported by 3 October.
An Ecuadorian man from Cuenca was stabbed to death on the New York subway on 30 September, and his family wants justice. Mesías Lojano, 59, was attacked aboard a J train in the borough of Queens, police said.
A 25-year-old Bronx man, Jyrell Thomas, was charged with murder on 1 October after passengers chased him to a nearby rooftop. Metro Ecuador and the New York Daily News carried the son’s call for justice on 1 and 2 October.
What Police Say Happened
The attack happened around 5:20 pm as the train approached Woodhaven Boulevard station, the Daily News and El Comercio reported. Gothamist, citing officials of the New York Police Department (NYPD), put the time at about 5:30 pm.
According to police quoted by ABC7 New York, the suspect paced the car and appeared agitated before approaching Lojano. Lojano tried to walk away before he was attacked with a kitchen knife, police said.
He was stabbed three times in the upper body and once in the neck, the Daily News reported. Officers found him unconscious on the platform, and he died at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.
How Often This Happens on the Subway
ABC7, citing police figures, reported that this was the sixth homicide in the New York subway system this year. There were four in all of 2025 and ten in 2024.
The broadcaster also reported a 7% rise in subway assaults this year, 441 against 410 a year earlier. These figures come from that single report and have not been independently confirmed.
Killings on the network remain rare events. The 2026 count is above last year’s but still below the 2024 total, according to the same police figures.
Chase, Arrest and Charges
Passengers followed the suspect out of the elevated station and through nearby streets. He was arrested on the roof of a garage about a block away, and police recovered a knife.
One witness, Bismarck Villareyna, filmed part of the attack and joined the chase, he told ABC7. He said he thought about stopping the man but feared being stabbed himself.
Thomas was charged on Thursday 1 October with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Police described him as emotionally disturbed, and he was taken to Jamaica Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.
His only prior arrest was for petit larceny in the Bronx in September, police told CBS New York. The charges are allegations, and he has not been convicted.
A Family in Queens, a Parish in Cuenca
Lojano worked in construction and supported his wife, six children and four grandchildren, his son William told the Daily News. “He was a good man. He was a hardworking, honest man,” he said.
William said he had watched phone video of the attack. “I watched the video. Somebody attacked my father. He killed him. I want justice,” he told the paper.
His children opened a GoFundMe page on 1 October to cover funeral and burial costs. Signed by William, Laura, Darwin and Edwin, it calls him “a devoted father to four children,” a different count from the son’s. A neighbour told Gothamist that Lojano had lived in the same Corona building for ten years.
In Ecuador, the parish government of Turi sent condolences to his family and confirmed his ties to the parish, Metro Ecuador reported. Money sent home by Ecuadorians abroad recently hit a record (see Ecuador Remittances Hit a Record US$2.04 Billion in the Second Quarter).
What Is Not Yet Known
Police said it appeared unprovoked and the men were strangers. Early reports differed on whether words were exchanged first.
No court date, plea or result of the psychiatric evaluation had been made public by 3 October. It is also not known whether Lojano will be buried in New York or repatriated to Ecuador.
Sources: Metro Ecuador, 2 October 2026; Metro Ecuador, 2 October 2026; New York Daily News, 1 October 2026; Gothamist, 1 October 2026; ABC7 New York, 2 October 2026; El Comercio, 2 October 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
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