A man who slashed a North Carolina tourist across the face with a knife at Newark Liberty International Airport has been sentenced to 30 years in New Jersey state prison. Xiong Jin pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted murder and must serve 85 percent of that sentence before he's eligible for parole, a term that traces back to his release from a prior prison stay just eight days before the attack.
Union County Superior Court Judge Chanel Hudson imposed the sentence on September 11, according to NJ.com. Jin had entered his guilty plea back on June 8. Authorities say he approached the 36-year-old victim from behind near Door 4 on Level 3 of Terminal A on August 25, 2024, around 4:50 p.m., and struck her across the right side of her face with a three-inch fixed-blade knife as she stood with a companion.
Port Authority police officers witnessed the assault unfold and took Jin into custody without incident. Aviation Pros describes check-in areas and TSA checkpoints at Newark Liberty's Terminal A, according to Aviation Pros.
Victim Describes Sudden, Unprovoked Blow
The victim, identified by WABC-NY as Melissa Mauldin, was in Hoboken for a friend's wedding at the time of the attack, per WABC-TV. She lives near Charlotte, North Carolina. In reporting from WSOC-TV, Mauldin said she was watching a child play inside the departure hall while waiting for her companion when she felt a sudden blow to her face, with no prior interaction or warning before the assault.
Mauldin was taken to a local hospital, where she received 14 stitches to close a gash on the right side of her face, per WABC-NY, and was treated for a fractured nose and cheekbone, according to WABC-TV. She was waiting in Terminal A when the attack happened.
A Pattern of Violence That Triggered Tougher Sentencing
Court records reviewed as part of the case show Jin, 54 at the time of the attack, had served at least three separate prison sentences between 2009 and 2024, all stemming from prior assault convictions, according to The Mirror US. He had just completed a nearly three-year sentence for aggravated assault when he was released on August 17, 2024 — only eight days before the airport stabbing.
That timeline mattered legally. Under New Jersey's persistent offender statute, N.J.S.A. 2C:44-3(a), a judge may impose an extended prison term on a defendant over 21 who has at least two prior separate crime convictions and whose latest conviction or release from confinement fell within 10 years of the new offense, according to Justia Law. Jin's release just over a week before the stabbing satisfied that window, and the Union County Prosecutor's Office adjudicated him a persistent offender, subjecting him to an extended term.
New Jersey law permits extended prison terms for certain persistent offenders, per Denholtz Criminal Defense. In this case, Jin must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence — more than 25 years — before any parole consideration, according to Union County NJ Criminal Lawyer.
Prosecutor's Office Credits Responding Officers
Union County Acting Prosecutor William A. Daniel announced the sentencing and said it should provide assurance to the victim, her family and the community. He said authorities will not tolerate egregious offenses and will work to bring offenders to justice. Daniel commended the initial responding officers from the Port Authority Police Department as well as Union County Assistant Prosecutor Zachary Poreman for their work on the case.
The Port Authority Police Department operates as a bi-state agency with jurisdiction across New Jersey and New York, including a dedicated airport command that patrols both landside terminals and airside operations at Newark Liberty, according to a Wikipedia entry on the agency. Officers from that command were the ones who witnessed the attack in real time and moved in to arrest Jin at the scene.
The stabbing took place inside Terminal A, a 1-million-square-foot facility that opened in January 2023 following a $2.7 billion redevelopment — the largest single investment in New Jersey history by the Port Authority, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The unprovoked nature of the attack was all the more jarring for travelers in the terminal.
