Newark Liberty International Airport: Woman 'slashed across face' in horror random knife attack by man released from prison days before

Melissa Mauldin, 36, was waiting for her friend to come back from the bathroom when Xiong Jin, 54, allegedly assaulted her with a knife Sunday evening (25 August) in plain view of Port Authority police. They quickly cuffed the suspect who was later found to be a repeat offender, as well as a complete stranger to the victim, who was visiting from North Carolina.

The attack happened at the Terminal A departures level in the New Jersey airport at around 5pm, police said. The incident also occurred eight days after the suspect had finished a nearly three-year prison sentence for an aggravated assault first reported by The New York Post.

The man is now in custody and is expected to face an upgraded charge of attempted murder, after being first charged with aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a weapon, Port Authority cops said. As of writing, he is being held in Essex County Jail.

Mauldin told The New York Post: “This man poses a serious danger to society and should remain in custody – whether in jail, prison, or a psychiatric facility – to prevent further harm to others. No one should have to endure such a traumatic event, and I am committed to ensuring that Xiong Jin does not inflict further violence on others.”

Mauldin said had been visiting New Jersey for a wedding, and was on her way home when she was “violently attacked” from behind. She showed photos of her wound on her face that required 14 stitches.

She told the news station that she was also treated for a fractured nose and cheekbone. Xiong, meanwhile, was said to be homeless, and remained in jail ahead of a soon-to-be scheduled court hearing. 

If found guilty, Jin would be sentenced for his third stabbing, after allegedly jabbing a New Jersey corrections officer in the neck with a sharpened pencil in 2009, the Post found.  Two years before, he allegedly stabbed two people after they being invited to their homes, and also was once accused of trying to stab the owner of a Chinese restaurant, according to law enforcement insiders who spoke to The New York Post.