Tourist is slashed across the face in horror knife attack at Newark Airport

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 restroom when Xiong Jin, 54, attacked her with a knife Sunday night in plain view of Port Authority police.

They quickly handcuffed the suspect, who later turned out to be a repeat offender and a complete stranger to the victim, who was visiting from North Carolina.

The attack occurred in the departure lounge of Terminal A at the New Jersey airport around 5 p.m., police said — eight days after the suspect completed a nearly three-year prison sentence for aggravated assault first reported by The New York Post.

Now that he is in custody, he is expected to face an upgraded charge of attempted murder after previously being charged with aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a weapon, Port Authority police said. As of this writing, he is being held in the Essex County Jail.

Scroll down for the video:

Her attacker, repeat offender Xiong Jin, 54, allegedly attacked her with a knife in full view of Port Authority police — reportedly eight days after he was released from a three-year prison sentence for assault. He also has a string of other violent crimes to his name, The New York Post reported

“This man poses a grave danger to society and must remain in custody — whether that be in jail, prison or a psychiatric facility — to prevent further harm to others,” Mauldin told the Post of how she wants her attacker to be fully prosecuted.

“No one should have to go through such a traumatic event and I will ensure that Xiong Jin does not inflict further violence on others.”

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

“I actually travel for work,” she said ABC7the first to report the story. ‘I’ve traveled to all different countries, I’ve been to almost every state in the United States. I’ve never felt unsafe.

“I told my fiancé Max last night that I feel like all my security has been taken away, even though I did nothing to deserve it.”

She told the news station she was also being treated for a broken nose and cheekbone.

Xiong is now reportedly homeless and remained in jail Wednesday morning, awaiting a court hearing scheduled for the near future.

The Union County Prosecutor’s Office told the Post they expected the charges against him to be updated before then.

If found guilty, Jin would also be sentenced for his third stabbing, after allegedly stabbing a New Jersey prison guard in the neck with a sharpened pencil in 2009, the Post found.

She told the news station that she had also been treated for a broken nose and cheekbone. Xiong, meanwhile, is reportedly homeless and remained in jail Wednesday morning ahead of an upcoming court hearing. He is expected to face attempted murder charges.

Two years earlier, he allegedly stabbed two people after inviting them to their home, and He was also once accused of attempting to stab the owner of a Chinese restaurant, according to police insiders who spoke to the newspaper.

A state prison record seen by The Post shows that Jin served at least three separate sentences in the years since, between 2009 and 2024.

He was recently released on August 17 for an unknown aggravated assault charge, which the Post also first reported.

As for the more recent incident, Port Authority officers said the suspect’s arrest was due to the heroism of Officer Ryan Mangold, who quickly handcuffed Jin, likely saving Mauldin.

“Our officer did an excellent job, starting with being in the right place at the right time and making his moves,” Port Authority Police Chief Frank Conti said in a statement.

“His immediate actions prevented further injury and possibly saved the victim’s life… another example of police work that many would like to downplay or pretend does not exist.”

The department’s investigation into the altercation is still ongoing, with prosecutors already involved.