On September 3rd in Flushing, Queens, a massage parlor on Kissena Boulevard became the scene of a tragic incident. A Chinese man, who had reportedly arrived in New York only a week prior, fatally stabbed his wife who was working at the massage parlor. The police categorized the incident as a case of domestic violence assault, revealing that the perpetrator had a history of domestic violence while in mainland China.
Late on September 3rd, the authorities disclosed the identities of the victim and the suspect. They were a married couple residing on Cherry Avenue in Flushing. The Chinese man suspected of killing his wife was identified as Jiahai Ma, while the victim was Juimei Tang, aged 26.
According to the police announcement, at 5:41 pm on September 3rd, law enforcement responded to an attack at the intersection of Kissena Boulevard and Barclay Avenue. Upon arrival, they found a 26-year-old woman with multiple stab wounds on her neck and body. Despite being transported to Queens Hospital, she succumbed to her injuries.
The perpetrator was arrested at the scene and taken for questioning at the 109th precinct. Detectives worked until 4 am before transferring the suspect to a detention center.
The following day, reporters observed that the adjacent barbershop and stores near the massage parlor were operating normally. The proprietors remained tight-lipped about the previous day’s events, uniformly responding with phrases like “don’t know,” “wasn’t here yesterday,” or “uncertain,” as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. The massage parlor, situated in the basement, had removed signs on the storefront advertising “massage” and “bodywork.”
There are conflicting opinions among the public regarding this brazen daytime crime. According to a woman surnamed Huang who had access to related information in a WeChat group, the couple were both undocumented immigrants. The victim, from Guizhou province, had been briefly detained at the border due to pregnancy and subsequently released. She had been in New York for only about a month and working as an apprentice at the massage parlor for just a few days. On the other hand, the suspect had been released from a border detention facility about a week prior. It is unclear whether his actions stemmed from resentment over his wife’s terminated pregnancy or disapproval of her employment at the massage parlor.
On September 4th, Police Commissioner Kevin Coleman stated in an interview that based on preliminary investigations, this was a case of domestic violence assault, noting the perpetrator’s prior history of domestic violence in China. This serious incident serves as a reminder that domestic violence can have dire consequences and should not be overlooked. Victims of domestic violence are urged to seek help promptly to prevent further escalation of such tragedies.