A Brooklyn woman charged in a subway stabbing that left a good Samaritan injured was busted for knifing two people in Philadelphia – including a 1-year-old boy – just days after skipping out on a court date in her New York City case.
Takeira Hester, 28, was out on bail when she missed her April 11 hearing in the assault case for allegedly stabbing a 31-year-old man who tried to break up a fight between her and another woman on a lower Manhattan train in 2022, authorities said.
She now also faces attempted murder charges for the stabbing spree in Philly — which began at around around 8:30 a.m. April 13 when Hester allegedly randomly knifed a 24-year-old woman in the chest and hand in the Center City neighborhood, local cops said.
Just hours later at around noon, Hester allegedly stormed up to a 1-year-old boy riding in a stroller alongside his twin – and brazenly stabbed him in front of both parents on South 18th Street, authorities said.
“We had two parents walking a stroller down the street with two twins,” Philadelphia Police Capt. Frank Banford told reporters Saturday of the attack on the tot. “It looked like this female just rushed up to them and nothing was said – completely random. [She] tried to stab both children but got one child…in each arm.”
The wounded tot’s dad ran after the attacker – who got away but ended up leaving behind her bag, which contained enough clues to help cops track her down, Banford said.
Hester – who used a “long knife” in both attacks – was nabbed several hours later on North 63rd Street, cops said.
In addition to the attempted murder charge, Hester also faces raps for aggravated assault, weapon possession, simple assault and reckless endangerment, authorities said.
Both the child and the woman were hospitalized in stable condition, police said.
Hester had a warrant out for her arrest out of New York City at the time after skipping out on her hearing in Manhattan Criminal Court on the assault case, prosecutors said.
She’s accused of attacking a good Samaritan who tried to intervene as Hester fought with another woman on board a southbound No. 4 train at the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall station around 6 a.m. on Oct. 26, 2022, according to the NYPD.
She allegedly pulled a knife and stabbed the man in the back of the neck, right wrist and shoulder, cops said.
Hester fled out of the station, but was later identified at Bellevue Hospital, where she was arrested, authorities said.
She was charged with second-degree assault and first-degree attempted assault charges in connection to that incident, according to a criminal complaint.
A Manhattan judge at her arraignment ordered her held on $10,000 cash, $15,000 insurance company bond, or $25,000 partially secured surety bond at her arraignment, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors had requested that she be held on $75,000 cash, insurance company bond or partially secured bond in the case, the DA’s office said.
Hester posted the $10,000 cash bail on Feb. 28, 2023, state court officials said.
It’s unclear when her next court date is.
