Detectives booked a homeless Brooklyn man on murder charges Sunday in connection with two deadly stabbings along the A line in Queens and Manhattan, police sources said.
Rigoberto Lopez, 21, who lived at a shelter on Butler Street in Boerum Hill, was charged with first- and second-degree murder, as well as two counts of attempted murder.
Cops picked up the individual on Saturday night, and he is being interrogated regarding the two fatal attacks — as well as two other non-fatal stabbings that occurred near the 181st Street station in Washington Heights between Feb. 12-13.
During a Saturday afternoon press conference at One Police Plaza, ranking NYPD members indicated the four attacks between Feb. 12-13 may be connected. The incidents prompted Police Commissioner Dermot Shea to order an immediate boost in NYPD patrols throughout the entire subway system.
The NYPD is expected to further outline details about Lopez’s arrest during a conference call with the press later on Sunday.
The two murder victims were discovered on separate A trains at opposite ends of the line — in Far Rockaway, Queens and Inwood, Manhattan — between late Friday night and early Saturday morning.
The first victim, an unidentified man, was found stabbed while seated on board A train at the Mott Avenue station in Far Rockaway, Queens at about 11:20 pm on Feb. 12.
Officers from the NYPD Transit District 23 and the 101st Precinct discovered the man on a bench inside one of the train cars with stab wounds to his torso and neck.
Responding EMS units pronounced the victim dead at the scene.
Two hours later, cops in Manhattan responded to the fatal stabbing of a woman on board an A train that stopped at the West 207th Street in Inwood — the line’s northern terminus — at about 1:21 am on Feb. 13.
The discovery was made during the nightly overnight closure period of the entire subway system, when train cars are disinfected to guard against the spread of COVID-19.
Cops from NYPD Transit District 3 and the 34th Precinct, while responding to a 911 call, found the 44-year-old woman under the seats on board one of the train cars with several stab wounds to her body.
EMS units also pronounced her dead at the scene.
Anyone with information regarding the stabbings can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
This story first appeared on amNewYork Metro.
