An innocent bystander who saw two thugs attack another man inside a subway station in Queens this week was beaten and robbed by the pair, police said.
Authorities said suspect Jason Bedoya, 35, of Queens, a native of Colombia who had previously lived in Miami, witnessed two unknown men punching and stabbing another man on the mezzanine level of the 82nd Street/Jackson Heights subway station around 1 a.m. Monday.
“He didn't even have time to call 911,” said Yolanda Bedoya, 57, the victim's aunt.
“But when he saw the men stabbing the other man and beating him to death, he turned and hurried down the stairs.”
But Jason's escape attempt was foiled when the violent pair noticed him watching and turned their attention to him, his aunt said.
“They trapped him in the stairs and pushed him down the stairs, but he [railing]”Yolanda Bedoya spoke on behalf of her injured nephew, who only speaks Spanish.
The assailants took Jason's mobile phone, but he managed to get it back, his aunt said.
But the attacker's violence did not end there.
The threats chased him down the stairs of an elevated station, punched him several times and then fled into the street, according to video obtained by The Washington Post.
A police car soon pulled up on the block and Jason called down the officers. Officers pursued the suspects, but they ran away, Jason's aunt said.
Jason was beaten, suffering bruising around his eye and pain in his back after the pair tried to push him down the stairs, but refused medical attention.
Jason has been living in Whitestone for several months and helps his disabled aunt.
His aunt added that he was on his way home from meeting a friend when he was attacked.
“He never thought something like this would happen,” his aunt said.
“We always told him, 'Jay, don't go out too late. Don't stay out too late. It's getting very dangerous.' But it's not the same now.”
Police released footage late Thursday showing the two men, still at large, walking along the sidewalk.
Anyone with information about the attackers is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
The public can also submit information by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website. https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/or X @NYPDTips .
