What he’s smiling about?
An accused serial attacker wore a broad, goofy grin in Manhattan court Thursday, as a judge ordered him locked up for allegedly tossing scalding water at three women and a man in a string of Midtown incidents.
Larry Martin, 42, was ordered held without bail as Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Curtis J. Farber arraigned him on an indictment in connection to the terrifying 90-minute spree that took place as New Yorkers commuted to work on March 6.
Martin – seen wearing an orange prison suit – appeared to look directly at the assembled photographers’ cameras and flashed a toothy smile as he was arraigned on four counts each of second-degree assault and first-degree attempted assault.
In his first violent act, Martin allegedly lunged at a random man around 7:10 a.m. at East 44th Street and Lexington Avenue, and threw the burning liquid down the back of his head, causing burns on his neck, according to court documents.
By about 7:45 a.m., Martin traveled further west, where he allegedly chucked the scalding liquid at the side of a 49-year-old woman’s face at the corner of Sixth Avenue and West 56th Street – causing burns and hearing loss, cops and prosecutors said.
He then moved south, pouring the piping liquid from a cup onto the side of a 45-year-old woman’s face as she stepped out of the Times Square subway station at the southeast corner of Seventh Avenue and West 42nd Street around 8:15 a.m., according to authorities.
Finally, he emptied the scalding water onto a 27-year-old woman’s chest and hand at West 35th Street and Eighth Avenue around 8:40 a.m., officials said.
“Larry Martin allegedly committed violent attacks against four randomly selected individuals walking in Midtown within the span of less than two hours,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Thursday.
“My thoughts are with the victims as they heal from their extensive injuries. Nobody should fear for their safety while walking in Manhattan.”
Martin has one prior arrest for allegedly assaulting a 70-year-old man in Queens in August 2021, cops said.
He was arrested in 2022 in connection to that offense.
