Wood-Wielding Attacker Whacks Queens Straphangers, Police Say

QUEENS, NY — A wood-wielding man whacked four Queens straphangers in separate attacks over the course of 12 minutes, police said.

The attacks all unfolded in broad daylight Oct. 5 along R train platforms, authorities said.

The first happened about 12:30 p.m. as the attacker held out a block of wood from a southbound R train and struck a 59-year-old woman, who was standing on the Grand Avenue station platform, in the throat with it, NYPD officials said.

Medics took the woman to the hospital for minor injuries, police said.

The attacker apparently stayed on the R train because about 12:40 p.m. two men on the Elmhurst Avenue station platform told cops that someone held a piece of wood from the train and three it at them, authorities said.

The final attack occurred about two minutes later when a 56-year-old woman was hit by a piece of wood that the attacker held from the train, officials said.

She was taken to Elmhurst Hospital in stable condition, police said.

The attacker is described as a man who was last seen in a black sweater, black pants and an orange backpack.

People with information are asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA(74782). They can also submit tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on Twitter @NYPDTips.