Bronx man held on $400K bond in city’s first subway killing of the year
May 1, 2025, 5:21 p.m.
Surveillance footage shows the man striking the victim in the chest with what appears to be a knife, according to court papers.
A Bronx man accused of fatally stabbing a fellow subway rider during a dispute on a Manhattan-bound express train last week has been ordered held on $400,000 bond, court records show.
Luis Jose-Duarte, 46, was arrested Wednesday and charged with first-degree manslaughter. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment later that night.
According to NYPD records, Sheldon’s death is the first homicide in the subway system in 2025.
Police said Jose-Duarte stabbed 38-year-old John Sheldon, a Fort Greene resident, after stepping on Sheldon’s shoes aboard a southbound 4/5 train near the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall station.
Surveillance footage shows Sheldon standing up in front of Duarte, who then appears to stab Sheldon in the chest with a knife, according to court papers. Jose-Duarte fled the train, and the pair exchanged blows on the platform, a witness told police. Sheldon then collapsed with what were described as two puncture wounds to the chest, according to court papers.
Jose-Duarte’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last month, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and Mayor Eric Adams touted a decline in subway crime, crediting increased police patrols. But NYPD data shows transit crime is slightly up compared to last year, with 146 major crimes recorded so far in 2025, compared to 133 during the same period in 2024.
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