A woman waiting for a flight at Newark Liberty International Airport was stabbed in the face, police said.
Melissa Mauldin, 36, was waiting for her friend to return from the bathroom when Xiong Jin, 54, allegedly attacked her with a knife on Sunday evening – in front of port police.
They quickly handcuffed the suspect, who later became known as a repeat offender and a complete stranger to the victim, who was visiting from North Carolina.
The attack occurred around 5 p.m. on the departure level of Terminal A at New Jersey airport, police said – eight days after the suspect began serving a nearly three-year prison sentence for aggravated assault, first reported by the New York Post.
He is now in custody and is expected to face an aggravated attempted murder charge after initially being charged with aggravated assault and illegal possession of a firearm, Port Authority cops said. He is being held in the Essex County Jail at the time of this writing.
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Melissa Mauldin, 36, was waiting for her friend at Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday when she was stabbed in the face, police said.
Her attacker, repeat offender Xiong Jin, 54, allegedly attacked her with a knife in front of port police – reportedly eight days after he was released from a three-year prison sentence for assault. He has also committed a number of other violent crimes, the New York Post reported.
“This man poses a serious danger to society and should remain in custody – whether in jail, prison or a mental health facility – to prevent further harm to others,” Mauldin told the Post, saying she wants her attacker to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
“No one should have to go through such a traumatic event, and I will work to ensure that Xiong Jin does not inflict further violence on others.”
Mauldin showed photos of the wound on her face, which required 14 stitches. She said she had been to a wedding in New Jersey and was on her way home when she was “brutally attacked” from behind.
“I travel for a living,” she told ABC 7, the first station to report the story. “I’ve traveled to many different countries, I’ve been to almost every state in the United States. I’ve always felt safe.”
“I told my fiancé Max last night that I feel like all my security has been taken away from me and I didn’t even do anything to deserve this.”
She told the news channel that she was also treated for a broken nose and cheekbone.
Xiong was said to be homeless and was still in jail on Wednesday morning pending a court hearing.
The Union County District Attorney’s Office told The Washington Post that it expects to have an update on the charges by then.
If found guilty, Jin would also face punishment for his third stabbing, after he allegedly stabbed a New Jersey correctional officer in the neck with a sharpened pencil in 2009, The Post learned.
She told the news channel that she was also treated for a broken nose and cheekbone. Xiong is now said to be homeless and remained in jail Wednesday morning pending a court hearing scheduled for soon. He is expected to face attempted murder charges.
Two years earlier, he is said to have stabbed two people after they were invited to their home, and He was also once accused of attempting to stab the owner of a Chinese restaurant, according to law enforcement insiders who spoke to the newspaper.
A state report viewed by The Post shows that Jin served at least three prison sentences in subsequent years, between 2009 and 2024.
He was last released from custody on August 17 for an unknown serious assault, which the Post also first reported.
As for the most recent incident, Port Authority police attributed the suspect’s arrest to the bravery of Officer Ryan Mangold, who quickly handcuffed Jin — and likely saved Mauldin in the process.
“Our officer did an outstanding job. It started with simply being in the right place at the right time and following his footsteps,” Port Police Chief Frank Conti said in a statement.
“His immediate actions prevented further injury and potentially saved the victim’s life… another example of police work that many like to downplay or pretend doesn’t exist.”
The department’s investigation into the dispute is still ongoing. The public prosecutor’s office has already been contacted.
