Attack on 84th Street

Arissa Chen '27

On the morning of April 6, 2025, at an apartment on 84th Street and 17th Avenue, four girls were stabbed by their uncle with a meat cleaver. The man who attacked the four girls, Longqian Chen, has been charged with attempted murder, assault in the first degree, assault in the second degree, endangering the welfare of a child, reckless endangerment, and criminal possession of a weapon and was also shot by the police.

The ages of the four victims are 8, 11, 13, and 16. The 11-year-old was able to luckily lock herself in a room and call 911 to report that her uncle was stabbing her and her siblings. There was a fifth child who was a 12-year-old boy who was fortunately unharmed and ran to the neighbors for help.

When police arrived, Chen was standing near the apartment entrance, holding the meat cleaver. Officers told him to drop the weapon but Chen ignored them and was shot once in the head and twice in the torso. The police would recover a large bloody meat cleaver and a bloody knife in a different room.

Chen was rushed to the hospital in critical condition after being shot. He has had a history of mental illness and was hospitalized for schizophrenia.

All of the victims harmed were rushed to Maimonides Medical Center and are said to have “serious slash and stab wounds.” Law enforcement sources said that one of the girl’s fingers was severed and another girl was stabbed in the head and neck 10 times. They are all expected to survive and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch visited them saying “"I'm happy to report that they are going to be fine."