Man Who Stabbed Tourist At Newark Airport Had ‘Violent Criminal History,’ Prosecutors Say

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A man with a violent criminal history who stabbed a tourist at Newark Airport two years ago was recently sentenced to three decades in New Jersey state prison, prosecutors say.

Xiong Jin, 56, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for an unprovoked stabbing attack that took place in August 2024, according to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office.

Here’s what happened, authorities said:

“On Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024, at approximately 4:50 p.m., Port Authority Police Department officers patrolling Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport witnessed a stabbing near Door 4 on Level 3. Jin approached a 36-year-old female tourist from North Carolina from behind as she stood with a companion and struck her across the right side of her face with a three-inch fixed-blade knife. Port Authority police units quickly responded and Jin was taken into custody without incident.”

Jin pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted murder in June. He was sentenced on Sept. 11, and will be required to serve 85 percent of the term before being eligible for parole.

Additionally, due to having a “violent criminal history,” Jin was adjudicated as a persistent offender and subjected to an extended term of imprisonment, prosecutors said.

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