A 17-year-old boy repeatedly knifed by a rampaging in-law who murdered the boy’s mother and then set their Queens home on fire was saved by a pregnant off-duty Port Authority police officer who heard screams for help and raced over, the Daily News has learned.
The Port Authority cop lives in Flushing and was on her way home around 3:30 p.m. Thursday when she heard someone’s panicked cries and saw the teen bleeding in the street on Smart St. near 45th Ave.
The teen and his 50-year-old mother, Qiujin Shi, had just been attacked by Shi’s 27-year-old son-in-law, according to police.
The cries for help came from Shi’s adult daughter, who is married to the son-in-law and was standing outside the home as the carnage unfolded, the cop said.
“When I got there, the wife of the stabber was screaming that her mother was stabbed on the floor unconscious and her husband was starting a fire,” said the cop, who wished not to be named. “She was at the door screaming.”
The officer, who is four months pregnant, saw the bleeding teen stumbling in the street outside the house and ran over. The 17-year-old had suffered deep gashes above his left eye and been stabbed in the armpit.
“I just tried to stop the bleeding,” she said.
The officer immediately rendered first aid to the teen as police and firefighters arrived. When EMS showed up a few minutes later, she escorted the youth down the narrow street to an awaiting ambulance.
After stabbing Shi and her son, the suspect lit a mattress on fire in a back bedroom and slit his wrist, cops said.
Firefighters quickly put out the blaze and found Shi and her in-law inside.
Kerry Burke / New York Daily News
Police at the scene where police say a 27-year-old man stabbed his 50-year-old mother-in-law to death before turning the knife on a 17-year-old and himself inside a home on Smart St. in Flushing, Queens on October 2, 2025. (Kerry Burke/NYDN)
EMS brought Shi, her son and their attacker to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Queens, where the mother died. Her teenage son and the son-in-law were in stable condition.
The son-in-law remained in police custody at the hospital Friday. No charges were immediately filed.
The off-duty officer has been working for the Port Authority for two years. Before that, she worked four years with the NYPD assigned to the Midtown North precinct. She’s pregnant with her first child and is on light duty, officials said.
Five police officers also suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation after rushing into the building. One refused medical attention, and the other four officers were transported to Queens Hospital Center.
Shi lived in the home with her family, her daughter’s family and other relatives.
Neighbors on the usually quiet block in a tight-knit Asian community were left rattled by the daughter’s screams, the huge police response and the bloodshed they witnessed.
One neighbor, who wished not to be named, recalled hearing wordless screams followed by someone shouting, “Call an ambulance!”
“The way that man was screaming… not words, just somebody screaming,” she said, recalling the harrowing sound.
The next thing the neighbor saw was police carrying Shi out of the home.
“They didn’t put her on no stretcher, no body bag, nothing,” she said. “No cover. Her head was back. She was limp.”
Shi’s daughter and son-in-law were going through a divorce, multiple police sources told The News. Detectives believe the suspect’s relationship issues sparked the violence.
“They were talking about divorce,” Guqing Zhang, 20, the victim’s nephew, who lives in the house’s basement, told The News Thursday. “Then there was a lot of shouting. He got drunk … that’s what made him crash out.”
Attempts Friday to contact relatives were unsuccessful.
Frank Conti, president of the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association, hailed the off-duty officer’s heroic actions.
“Our off-duty officer responded to someone’s urgent need for help,” Conti said. “She did so without hesitation, not being certain of what she was walking into, as police officers typically do. Unbeknownst to her, she was happening upon a tragic scene, in which an armed perpetrator was still present.
“I am extremely proud of her actions, and I am also grateful that she was not injured, or worse, in the process,” Conti added. “She should be recognized for her bravery and her selflessness.”
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