Two migrant men were honored for their bravery in stopping a suspect accused of stabbing a woman in Queens.

“In a moment that may paralyze others, these men acted,” Chief of Transit Michael Kemper said.


What You Need To Know

  • Oswaldo Robles Lino and Josnan Alberto Palacios, who are migrants, were honored Tuesday with the “Outstanding Citizen Award” by the NYPD

  • According to police, the two men stopped Randol Contreras after he allegedly stabbed a woman multiple times in late July at the Jamaica-Van Wyck station in Queens

  • Contreras will be back in court on Wednesday, officials said

Oswaldo Robles Lino and Josnan Alberto Palacios were honored Tuesday with the “Outstanding Citizen Award” by the NYPD after stopping a man after he allegedly stabbed a woman in late July at the Jamaica-Van Wyck station.

According to police, as the victim was exiting the station, Randol Contreras stabbed her multiple times.

The two men say they saw the stabbing, chased the suspect down and held him until the police arrived.

“We were downstairs, and we could see how he was repeatedly sticking the knife into this girl’s stomach,” Robles Lino said.

“I went up to yell at this person to stop, to stop assaulting the girl. Then he looks at me to confront me, and that allowed the girl, still wounded, to save her life,” Palacios said.

The two men are Venezuelans living in a migrant shelter in Queens.

They were joined at the ceremony by their families, who hope the actions of their loved ones dispel negative connotations associated with migrants.

Police say they hope to do the same.

“Certainly, there are many negative things, but we are not all the same because there are people who came here to work hard, to work, to raise our children in a better way,” Yuri Arbaez, Robles Lino’s wife, said.

“That is not the norm. This is the norm,” Kemper said.

Meanwhile, the suspect, Contreras, will be back in court on Wednesday, officials said.