New York City is in trouble when a kid gets slashed on a Monday morning and the guy who did it is still running free. This happened right here in Ridgewood, Queens, where a 17-year-old boy was attacked near Myrtle and Forest Avenues just before 8 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 19. Police say the victim was rushed to Bellevue Hospital with a wound to his right hand, and while he is in stable condition, the fear in that neighborhood is real.
The 104th Precinct is hunting a suspect they believe is between 17 and 18 years old. A black hooded sweatshirt featuring a spider logo and a Nike bookbag were on the person spotted running south on foot down Forest Avenue. Nobody knows exactly what started the fight, but early investigations suggest the attacker might have known the victim. This isn’t random chaos; it’s violence that hits too close to home for anyone living in the borough.
A Precinct on Edge
The numbers coming out of the 104th Precinct are scary and they show a clear trend we cannot ignore. amNewYork data indicates 263 assaults occurred in the precinct year-to-date as of Oct. 11, a 14.3% rise over the 230 reported by the same time in 2025. That is a massive jump in violent crime in just one year. When assaults go up by double digits, it means the streets are getting meaner and the police are stretched thin trying to keep us safe.
We need to ask hard questions about why this is happening in our outer boroughs. The suspect is still out there, and until he is caught, every kid walking to school or heading to the subway is at risk. The NYPD has asked anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers, but we need more than tips; we need a city that feels safe again.
Violence Is Spreading Fast
This slashing in Queens is just the latest in a string of brutal attacks across the city. Just two days ago on Saturday, Oct. 17, a 26-year-old security guard named Darell Rodriguez was gunned down on a subway platform in Midtown Manhattan. He was waiting for an E train to head home to the Bronx when an unidentified stranger shot him in the chest. Rodriguez died on arrival at Bellevue Hospital, marking the seventh murder in the transit system this year.
These two incidents back-to-back show a pattern of violence that the current administration has failed to stop. Whether it is a teen slashed in Ridgewood or a man executed on a subway platform, the message to New Yorkers is that the streets are not safe. The police are doing their best to track down these suspects, but they cannot do it alone without a city that demands accountability and order.
We are sick of watching our city get run into the ground by criminals who think they can do whatever they want. The 104th Precinct needs every resource to catch the guy in the black hoodie, and the whole city needs to wake up to the reality that safety is slipping away.
This is opinion and commentary from the RapForMayor team.
