On-Duty EMS Lieutenant Killed in Random Stabbing Attack Outside Queens Stationhouse

An on-duty EMS lieutenant was killed in an apparent random and unprovoked stabbing attack outside the Queens stationhouse where she worked, officials said.

According to police, Alison Russo-Elling was outside EMS station 49 in Astoria around 2:15 p.m. Thursday. She was on her way to pick up food when the attacker came up from behind and stabbed her with a knife multiple times, including in the neck, at the corner of 20th Avenue and 41st Street, in what Acting FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh called a "barbaric and completely unprovoked attack."

Russo-Elling was rushed to Mount Sinai Queens, where she died from her injuries.

"We lost one of our heroes," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said during a press conference later in the evening. "She was working for this city, and paid the ultimate sacrifice because of that."

After the attack, the suspect ran off, according to police. Two witnesses knew the suspect, one of whom gave chase as the man ran into a building on 41st Street where he lived. The man then barricaded himself in his third-floor apartment for about 90 minutes, said NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig.

The suspect, 34-year-old Peter Zisopoulos, was eventually talked out of the apartment and taken into custody, Essig said. Zisopoulos was charged with murder and weapon possession, police later said. Police sources said he did not have a previous criminal record.

"Members of EMS serve only to help and save other people’s lives. To be attacked and killed in the course of helping others is both heartbreaking and enraging for our department in ways I cannot describe," said Kavanaugh at the press conference, adding that Russo-Elling "exemplified FDNY EMS."

The fire commissioner said the EMS lieutenant served for 25 years, and was a World Trade Center first responder. Kavanaugh said that Russo-Elling was "cited multiple times for her bravery and her life-saving work, and she was absolutely beloved on this job."

Russo-Elling was the 1,158th member of the FDNY to die in the line of duty, and the second EMS to died in the line of duty in the last five years.

“Our hearts break for our entire department and her family," Kavanaugh said.

The union that represents EMS workers emphasized at the press conference that Russo-Elling was not on a break at the time of the deadly attack, saying "EMS does not get breaks, we are on-duty 24/7 out there to help save the public."

Russo-Elling leaves behind a daughter, the FDNY said. The NY Police and Fire Widows' & Children's Benefit Fund, also known as Answer the Call, said that they would be providing Russo-Elling's family with $50,000 "to help alleviate any financial concerns during this unimaginably difficult time."

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul directed flags on state buildings be flown at half-staff in honor of the slain EMS lieutenant.

"Today our city is grieving. The New York City Police Department stands united with the FDNY and the entire city of New York as we mourn the tragic loss of a dedicated public servant," said NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell. "This senseless, deadly, broad-daylight attack on a uniformed EMT member is a direct assault on our society. It is the latest consequence of the violence that we relentlessly fight in our city."

A motive for the attack was not immediately clear. An investigation is ongoing.