Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Murder Suspect's Stabbing Victim Shows Off Stab Wounds
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 18, 2011
Modified Feb 18, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
WCBS 2
By
Jen Chung
Published Feb 18, 2011
Modified Feb 18, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Last Saturday morning, Joseph Lozito was in an uptown 3 train, headed to his job at the Avery Fisher Hall box office, when a dirty, disheveled man entered. The man was Maksim Gelman, the focus of a citywide manhunt after he allegedly killed three people in Brooklyn and was stabbing drivers in order to steal their cars. And after failing to enter the motorman's car, Gelman allegedly turned his knife on Lozito, said, "You're going to die," and stabbed him in the head.
Two transit officers who had been in the motorman's car helped tackle and restrain Gelman, but Lozito credits fellow passenger Alfred Douglas for saving his life. According to WCBS 2, "First, [Douglas] used his bare hands to stop the flow and then a paper towel, all while trying get Lozito, now hysterical, to keep his cool." Douglas, a supervising carpenter at the World Trade Center, said, “He was in bad shape. He was crying for his family: ‘I have two boys. I don’t want to die.’ I tried to keep him calm." Douglas added, “We were there for a long time. I was worried he was gonna bleed to death."
Douglas is modest about his efforts, "I just did what any normal human being would do," but Lozito said, "He said he didn’t save my life, yet I think he did. I thanked him profusely and told him I owe my life to him." Lozito, 6-foot-2, 270-pound mixed martial arts buff, also says he was angry at Gelman during the attack, telling him, "You better hope I f---ing die, because I’m going to kill you if I don’t."
Tagged
3 train
alfred douglas
joseph lozito
maksim gelman
stabbing
subway
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Man shot by ICE in NYC still has bullet lodged in neck, attorneys say
Oscar Belgal, a 28-year-old immigrant from the Dominican Republic, was in solitary confinement at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Sunset Park on Monday.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Oct 12, 2026
NY measles spread prompts 'disaster' emergency. It didn't have to be this way, health commissioner says.
The state health commissioner says the disease outbreak is wholly preventable.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
News
NY measles spread prompts 'disaster' emergency. It didn't have to be this way, health commissioner says.
The state health commissioner says the disease outbreak is wholly preventable.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
NYC wants to move deliveries onto the waterways. It's starting with a 55-year-old boat.
By
Liam Quigley
Inside the luxury Greenpoint high-rise powered by a rumbling generator for over a month
By
David Brand
Mayor Mamdani orders review of NYPD use of force policies
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .