A subway rider was brutally attacked in a random stabbing incident by a disturbing, smiling individual while he was commuting home from work, as revealed by friends and police authorities.
Roberto Gaspar, a 25-year-old who works tirelessly in a restaurant in Manhattan, was simply focused on his phone when the assailant approached him from behind on a No. 7 train at the 111th Street station in Corona, Queens, on a recent Sunday night. According to witnesses and law enforcement sources, the assailant, whose identity has yet to be confirmed, was later seen in surveillance footage with a broad grin on his face.
The attacker struck Gaspar with an “unknown sharp object,” stabbing him once in the throat and twice in his back, as reported by the police.
Emergency responders rushed Gaspar to New York Presbyterian/Queens Hospital, where his friend, Tomas Calel, 35, shared that Gaspar is now on a ventilator, unable to communicate. “He is serious. He can’t talk,” Calel stated in Spanish outside Gaspar’s apartment in Queens. “He’s in the ICU. He’s hooked up to machines. The doctors say maybe he’ll talk, maybe. We are hoping he recovers and will be able to talk.”
Gaspar, originally from Guatemala, has been living in the U.S. for the past seven to eight years, working diligently to support his family back home by sending back money. His friend Calel mentioned that Gaspar has four sisters, one of whom resides in the city.
Typically, Gaspar works five ten-hour shifts a week in the restaurant, where he handles everything from cooking to cleaning, and even dishwashing. He often takes on an extra shift during busy periods to further assist his parents and three other sisters financially.
As he was returning home from his job when the incident occurred, Calel expressed his outrage stating, “I’m angry. He didn’t do anything wrong. I believe [the attacker] is a bad guy. Why did he do that? I want them to catch this guy.” He also reacted to the display of joy from the suspect, remarking, “He’s laughing; he doesn’t care what he did to my friend.”
Calel described Gaspar as a “quiet guy” who generally avoids confrontation and simply returns home to rest after a hard day’s work. Additionally, Calel plans to visit Gaspar in the hospital, where his sister, visibly distressed and crying, was also present.
The assailant remains at large as of Tuesday, according to police reports. Calel, who works at another restaurant in Manhattan, expressed his fear of taking the train at night following the incident. “Sometimes I go [to work] by train; sometimes I go by bike. I take the train at night when I come home around 10 PM. I’m afraid to take the train now because what happened to my friend could easily happen to me too,” he conveyed.
If you have any information regarding this violent assault, the NYPD urges you to reach out through their Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish speakers, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Additionally, tips can also be submitted via the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on X @NYPDTips.
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