Man accused of random NYC subway slashing claims memory lapse; arraigned in Queens
Prosecutors say surveillance video shows a brutal throat-slashing on a 7 train; bail set at $500,000 cash as case moves forward
A 21-year-old man, Luis Pallchisaca of Richmond Hill, was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on charges including attempted murder, assault and weapon possession after investigators say he slashed a rider’s throat on a New York City subway Sunday night.
Investigators said the attack occurred inside a 7 train car as the victim, 25-year-old Robert Gaspar, was returning home from work and boarded at the Mets-Willets Point station around 11:30 p.m. Gaspar remains hospitalized in critical condition.
Prosecutors said surveillance footage shows Pallchisaca walking up to Gaspar, slashing his throat and stabbing him in the back multiple times without uttering a word before fleeing the train. Pallchisaca later told investigators he recognized himself in the footage but could not recall the stabbing; he said he may have scared someone with a knife and left.
Police later arrested Pallchisaca at his home after an eagle-eyed NYPD officer identified him as a suspect in an earlier case, prosecutors said. Court records show Pallchisaca has three arrests in the last 30 days, including for false impersonation and attempted assault, in addition to the current case.
Gaspar, whom friends described as a restaurant worker, was not able to speak after undergoing surgery and can only write or nod at this time, prosecutors said.
During the arraignment, Assistant District Attorney Samuel Pellegrino asked that Pallchisaca be held without bail. The defense sought $100,000 bail, but Judge Lana Schlessinger set bail at $500,000 in cash on the charges, including attempted murder, assault and weapon possession.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz issued a statement calling the attack merciless and emphasizing the subway system as a lifeline for millions of New Yorkers, pledging that the office would use all tools to prosecute those who undermine public safety.
The investigation is ongoing, with prosecutors reviewing additional surveillance footage and other records as the case moves forward.
