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Astoria man wanted for assaulting MTA conductor in Jackson Heights turns himself in

Astoria resident Nektarios Tsikitas admitted he was the man who was wanted in the assault of an MTA conductor in Jackson Heights when he turned himself in at the 107th Precinct in Fresh Meadows. NYPD

May 9, 2025 By Bill Parry

An Astoria man walked into the 107th Precinct in Fresh Meadows on Tuesday, clutching a surveillance photo that was circulated by the NYPD over the weekend that depicted a suspect who assaulted an MTA at a Jackson Heights subway station on the night of Thursday, May 1.

Nektarios Tsikitas, 36, of 31st Avenue, approached the front desk and admitted that he was the suspect who was wanted for the attack in the confines of the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst.

“I saw this image of me being circulated for an alleged assault against an MTA worker, and I am here to turn myself in,” Tsikitas told a detective.

Tsikitas was taken into custody and arraigned on Wednesday night in Queens Criminal Court on a complaint charging him with assault in the second degree and other related crimes for allegedly striking the MTA conductor in the Jackson Heights–Roosevelt Avenue/74th Street subway station on the night of May 1.

The 29-year-old victim was in the cab of a northbound E train that was pulling out of the transit hub just before 7:30 p.m. when Tsikitas allegedly reached through the open window and slapped the conductor with an open right hand, police said.

The impact of the blow to the victim’s face caused his eyeglasses to fall onto the tracks. Tsikitas fled the transit hub onto Roosevelt Avenue and fled in an unknown direction. EMS responded to the location, and the conductor was treated at the scene for dizziness and swelling to his right eye.

Tsikitas was additionally charged with third-degree assault and second-degree harassment. During his arraignment in Queens Criminal Court, the judge set supervised release and issued a full order of protection and ordered him to return to court on July 15. If convicted of the top count of second-degree assault, Tsikitas faces up to seven years in prison on the felony charge.