Good Samaritans hold down stabbing suspect in Queens subway station

QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11) — A panhandler was held without bail Tuesday after being accused of stabbing a woman when she refused to give him money in a Queens subway station Sunday night, police said.

Randol Contreras, 24, allegedly stabbed the 23-year-old victim in the chest and abdomen with a knife at the mezzanine level in the Jamaica-Van Wyck subway station at around 8:30 p.m., according to the NYPD. 

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said the woman's liver and lung were punctured and her face was slashed. 

Contreras asked the woman for some cash and when she refused, they argued, police said. The suspect then allegedly attacked her.

Good Samaritans held Contreras at the scene until cops arrived, police said. Alejandro Robles and Josnan Fernandez were with their children when they witnessed the commotion.

They told PIX11 they didn't hesitate to detain Contreras and held him face down on the ground. Both men are Venezuelan migrants who fled their native country to escape the violence, and never expected to confront it head-on here. 

Contreras was charged with attempted murder, assault, attempted robbery, and criminal possession of a weapon. The suspect has no prior arrests and has been remanded to Rikers Island. 

The victim was recovering at Jamaica Hospital and was last listed in critical condition.