By: Richard L. Smith
A 56-year-old man has been sentenced to three decades in state prison for an unprovoked knife attack that seriously injured a tourist at Newark Liberty International Airport in 2024.
According to information released by Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel, Xiong Jin was sentenced to 30 years in New Jersey State Prison after previously pleading guilty to first-degree attempted murder.
Authorities said Jin entered his guilty plea on June 8, 2026, before Union County Superior Court Judge Chanel Hudson. He was sentenced September 11 and must serve 85% of the prison term before becoming eligible for parole.
Prosecutors said Jin was also sentenced as a persistent offender because of his prior violent criminal history.
The attack happened around 4:50 p.m. on August 25, 2024, near Door 4 on Level 3 of Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport.
According to prosecutors, a 36-year-old woman visiting from North Carolina was standing with a companion when Jin approached her from behind and struck her across the right side of her face with a three-inch fixed-blade knife.
Port Authority Police officers patrolling the terminal witnessed the attack and quickly took Jin into custody without further incident.
Prosecutor Daniel credited responding Port Authority Police officers and Union County Assistant Prosecutor Zachary Poreman for their work on the investigation and prosecution.