NEW YORK, N.Y. – A Manhattan man was sentenced Thursday to 18 years in state prison for two back-to-back assaults that left strangers with severe injuries after unprovoked attacks in a Midtown deli and subway station.
A New York Supreme Court jury convicted Christopher Velarde, 40, in August of robbery and assault charges tied to the violent incidents. Prosecutors said Velarde’s spree began just after 1 a.m. on May 4, 2024, when he entered a deli at 48 West 48th Street and attacked a 44-year-old man. Witnesses told investigators that Velarde threw the victim to the ground, stomped on his head, and then stole his backpack before fleeing.
Minutes later, Velarde was captured on surveillance entering the 49th Street subway station. There, he set upon a 22-year-old waiting for a train, punching him repeatedly before throwing him down and continuing the assault. Velarde left the station and escaped on a downtown train, prosecutors said.
The first victim suffered facial fractures, bruising, a broken tooth, and required reconstructive surgery. The second victim sustained a concussion, a fractured jaw that was wired shut, and needed stitches for a facial wound. Both men required hospitalization.
Velarde was arrested on May 25, 2024, after being stopped at the Borough Hall subway station in Brooklyn. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg called the crimes “vicious unprovoked attacks against two complete strangers” and said the sentence delivered justice for the victims.
The deli floor and subway platform became the scene of one man’s violent rampage—and now his prison cell will be the final stop.
