Forest Hills–71st Avenue station (Wikipedia)
April 18, 2020 By Michael Dorgan
A man was arrested shortly after stabbing a woman at the 71st Avenue subway station in Forest Hills Thursday.
Daniel Arquette, 57, allegedly stabbed a 47-year-old female at the 71st – Continental Avenue subway station on April 16 at around 5:20 p.m., according to police.
Police said that the suspect approached the victim and stabbed her in the back with an unknown object. The woman was waiting for a Jamaica-bound train at the time of the attack.
The victim suffered a puncture wound and was transferred to Jamaica Hospital in stable condition.
Police said the woman did not know the suspect and that the attack was unprovoked.
Arquette was apprehended at the station and was charged with assault, according to police.
The New York Daily News reported that Arquette is a homeless individual and that he is wheelchair-bound.
However, Arquette denies the charges and says he wasn’t at the scene of the crime, according to his attorney.
“Not only is Mr. Arquette not homeless, but he was not physically there when this horrible event occurred,” said Todd A. Spodek, Arquette’s attorney in a statement.
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6 Comments
Within 24hrs we had an MTA employee attacked and a person mugged at the same station where this woman was stabbed. What is it going to take to get proper police presence at this stop and 75th and Union/QB??? Be proactive not reactive.
You can thank your local council members like Karen Koslowitz, Costa C, D. Richards, Elizabeth Crowley, for supporting looney mayor deBlasio agenda. Because of them we have more homeless and criminals on the street. This city council members not doing their jobs getting paid over 100k from tax money and we have to take the train, get stabbed, pay for medical bills and suffer. These politicians should be thrown out of the office or be voted out. The victim should sue The city for hospital bills, physical harm and emotional distress.
I have emailed the MTA many times and have even mentioned in when I have gotten their surveys that at the 71st Street station the tall turnstiles are needed (Northbound it’s at the back of the train by the last exit upstairs) because there are regular turnstiles that people can just jump over. If somebody is coming into or out of the station and sees somebody in wheelchair, they’ll open the emergency door for them to get through. That used to be a nice station, but it hasn’t been for about 20 years.
It’s really scary. But they should have the police offices came out from the cars and walk around the neighborhood. In 71st Ave and 108 st we hardy see a police around .
It will be helpful as the block don’t have a good light at night
Let’s have transit police back in the stations. The way we had during Guilliani and Bloomberg. Let’s criminalize fare evasion again and let’s make switchblades and most knives illegal again. I am not sure why a Mayor would think undoing these laws that improved the subway would be a good idea. Absolutely backwards.
Another homeless person from the local shelter strikes again. I imagine he will be set free after arrest and given a gift card along with Mets tickets per the Mayor’s new reform. Thank you to our glorious mayors and local officials. You have really improved this area with your reckless placement of homeless shelters and misuse of funding. Well done. Round of applause.