Exclusive | Victims maimed by Grand Central machete madman seek to sue NYC for failing to keep riders safe from ‘Lucifer’

Nypost · Aug 22, 2026 · 611 words · By Sonya Gugliara

Urban Crime and Violence Public Safety and Police Accountability

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Victims maimed by Grand Central machete madman seek to sue NYC for failing to keep riders safe from ‘Lucifer’ See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 3

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center0%

Right100%

1 source compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Victims maimed by Grand Central machete madman seek to sue NYC for failing to keep riders safe from ‘Lucifer’ See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on Google Two of the elderly victims who were viciously slashed at Grand Central Station by a machete-wielding maniac who called himself “Lucifer” are blaming the city for their injuries because they claim cops were nowhere to be found…

Common ground

Leila Sumulong, 70, and Jose Fermin, 84, are two of the three people who were attacked by Anthony Griffin at the 42nd Street-Grand Central subway station April 11, before the 44-year-old madman was shot dead by cops.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Exaggeration / Hyperbole: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Urban Crime and Violence story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that the 44-year-old madman was shot dead by cops?
How does this story connect Urban Crime and Violence with Public Safety and Police Accountability over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/22/us-news/grand-central-slashing-vics-blame-city-for…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 100% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Name Calling / Labeling 90% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 4

check_circle Corroborated 3

verified Verified 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

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Claim 1: “the 44-year-old madman was shot dead by cops”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Anthony Griffin, aged 44, was shot and killed by NYPD officers. Note: Wikipedia results refer to different people named Anthony Griffin, but web search results specifically address the NYC incident.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Anthony or Tony Griffin may refer to: Anthony J. Griffin (1866–1935), U.S. Representative from New York Anthony C. Griffin, American plastic surgeon Anthony Griffin (Royal Navy officer) (1920–1996), …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Griffin

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Anthony Griffin (born 26 August 1966) is an Australian professional rugby league coach who was most recently the head coach of the St George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL. After success in the Queensla…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Griffin_(rugby_league)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On November 17, 1987, unarmed 19-year old Black Canadian Anthony Griffin was shot and killed by Constable Allan Gosset of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) outside of a police stati…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Anthony_Griffin

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 2: “All three slashings happened within a minute, according to police.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided search results do not mention the specific timeframe of 'within a minute' for the three slashings.

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web search NEUTRAL — George Ernest Thompson Edalji was an English solicitor and son of a vicar of Indian Parsi descent in a Staffordshire village. He became known as a victim of a miscarriage of justice, having served thr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Edalji

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web search NEUTRAL — Learn why 1-minute, 5-minute, and 15-minute charts deliver explosive opportunities (but tons of noise), while higher time frames like 1-hour, 4-hour, daily, and weekly give you clearer trade bias and …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDkcRiOwe44

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web search NEUTRAL — Tuesday’s slashings all occurred in Manhattan – and left two of the victims slashed or stabbed in the face – yet the New York City Police Department doesn’t believe any of the incidents are linked. No…
https://www.foxnews.com/us/nyc-sees-series-unrelated-slashin…

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Claim 3: “Leila Sumulong, 70, and Jose Fermin, 84, are two of the three people who were attacked by Anthony Griffin at the 42nd Street-Grand Central subway station April 11”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources confirm that Leila Sumulong (70) and Jose Fermin (84) were two of three victims attacked by Anthony Griffin at the 42nd Street-Grand Central station on April 11.

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web search NEUTRAL — Leila Sumulong, 70, and Jose Fermin, 84, are two of the three people who were attacked by Anthony Griffin at the 42nd Street-Grand Central subway station April 11, before the 44-year-old madman was sh…
https://nypost.com/2026/08/22/us-news/grand-central-slashing…

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web search NEUTRAL — Leila Sumulong, 70, and Jose Fermin, 84, were among three people attacked by 44-year-old Anthony Griffin at the 42nd Street-Grand Central station on April 11. A third victim, a 65-year-old man, suffer…
https://justthenews.com/government/local/grand-central-slash…

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web search NEUTRAL — Grand Central machete attack victims Leila Sumulong, 70, and Jose Fermin, 84, are seeking to sue NYC for failing to keep the subways safe.
https://patriots.win/p/1ATCNRb8vX/nyc-victims-maimed-by-gran…

verified

Claim 4: “Sumulong and Fermin are asking a Manhattan Supreme Court judge for permission to file a late notice of claim against the city”

VERIFIED

The evidence explicitly states that Sumulong and Fermin are asking a Manhattan Supreme Court judge for permission to file a late notice of claim against the city.

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web search NEUTRAL — Sumulong and Fermin are asking a Manhattan Supreme Court judge for permission to file a late notice of claim against the city – the first step in pursuing a lawsuit — after missing the 90-day deadline…
https://nypost.com/2026/08/22/us-news/grand-central-slashing…

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web search NEUTRAL — New York City Courts. Long Island Courts.Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson has spoken of jury service as a cornerstone of our democracy and has underscored the importance of jury service in attaining the go…
https://www.nycourts.gov/

info

Claim 5: “Sumulong was sliced across her back and Fermin across his head”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the victims and the event are corroborated, the specific detail about the slice across the back and head is not explicitly detailed in the provided evidence snippets, though the general attack is confirmed.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 1997 in the Philippines details events of note that happened in the Philippines in the year 1997.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_in_the_Philippines

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web search NEUTRAL — She knew then that she had to take a stand, to make sure that their marriage didn't fall apart completely. Taking a deep breath, Leila confronted Mohammad about the issues that had been plaguing their…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reRK2LCuxPY

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+ 1 more evidence source

help

Claim 6: “Griffin then eerily yelled “I am Lucifer” twice before advancing toward one of the officers, who then fired two shots”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the specific quote 'I am Lucifer'.

info

Claim 7: “At 9:40 a.m., cops ordered Griffin to drop his roughly 17-inch machete over two dozen times, harrowing body camera footage released in May shows.”

SINGLE SOURCE

One source mentions officers ordered Griffin to drop his weapon 'at least 20 times', which aligns with the claim of 'over two dozen', but the specific time (9:40 a.m.) and the exact count of 24 are not corroborated by a second source.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Police released new body camera video from 2024 that shows an alleged hazing incident at the University of Iowa. The fraternity responsible, Alpha Delta Phi, has been suspended until at least July 202…
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/was-the-video-of-the-inciden…

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web search NEUTRAL — RAW: Police body cam of response to Jussie Smollett.Body Cam Footage Released In Jussie Smollett Case.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzRM5Yi2H5E

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web search NEUTRAL — The officers ordered Mr. Griffin to drop his weapon at least 20 times and offered to get him help, Ms. Tisch said, but he refused to comply and instead moved toward the officers with the machete.
https://dnyuz.com/2026/04/12/man-stabs-3-with-machete-at-gra…

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Claim 8: “A 65-year-old man was also left with severe lacerations across his head and a skull fracture.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources confirm a 65-year-old man suffered a skull fracture and severe head injuries during the attack.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a summary of notable incidents at the amusement parks and water parks that are operated by Six Flags Entertainment Corporation. In some cases, these incidents occurred while the park was under…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incidents_at_Six_Flags_parks

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Rollins Pass, elevation 11,676 ft (3,559 m), is a mountain pass and active archaeological site in the Southern Rocky Mountains of north-central Colorado in the United States. The pass is located on an…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rollins_Pass

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a summary of notable incidents that have taken place at various European amusement parks, water parks, or theme parks. This list is not intended to be a comprehensive list of every such event,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incidents_at_European_amusemen…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 9: “Griffin attacked the unsuspecting victims at 9:39 a.m., according to police.”

SINGLE SOURCE

One source mentions the attack began 'just before 10:00 a.m.', but the specific time of 9:39 a.m. is not corroborated by multiple sources in the provided text.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — According to NBC New York, the suspect, identified as Anthony Griffin, arrived at Grand Central via a 7 train from Queens. He allegedly began attacking commuters just before 10:00 a.m., targeting indi…
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/anthony-griffen-grand-centra…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The incident caused the station to briefly shut down as police searched for the attacker. Blood was splattered on the platform following the horrific assault. The victim was treated at the scene befor…
https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/man-stabbed-on-nyc-tr…

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web search NEUTRAL — Discovering the ULTIMATE Dive Watch - Will the Tudor Pelagos 39 Make the Cut?THE MAD WATCH COLLECTOR75K • 3y agoLivePlaylist ()Mix (50+).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weeeU3ulL1c

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.