28 Hours of Terror: The Maksim Gelman Stabbing Spree

In February 2011, New York City experienced one of its most disturbing acts of random violence when 23-year-old Maksim Gelman carried out a brutal, 28-hour stabbing spree across Brooklyn and Manhattan. By the time it ended, four people were dead, five others were wounded, and the city was left grappling with questions about mental illness, public safety, and police responsibility.

The violence began just after 5:00 a.m. on February 11, 2011, inside a Sheepshead Bay apartment in Brooklyn. Gelman became involved in an argument with his mother, Svetlana Gelman, over the use of his stepfather’s vehicle and the location of his passport. Gelman later claimed he believed Drug Enforcement Administration agents were pursuing him and that he needed to flee the country. His mother believed he was intoxicated, and the argument escalated.

The noise woke Gelman’s stepfather, 54-year-old Aleksandr Kuznetsov, who entered the kitchen and confronted him. What followed was a sudden and vicious attack. Gelman grabbed a knife and stabbed Kuznetsov repeatedly. When the blade broke, he continued the assault using a carving fork. Kuznetsov was stabbed 55 times and died at the scene. Although Svetlana Gelman witnessed the attack, she was not physically injured.

Gelman fled the apartment in Kuznetsov’s gray Lexus and immediately endangered others as he sped through the neighborhood. During his escape, he struck an unnamed crossing guard, breaking her leg.

Later that morning, Gelman drove to the Brooklyn home of a former acquaintance, Yelena Bulchenko. At approximately 10:30 a.m., he entered the residence and stabbed her 56-year-old mother, Anna Bulchenko, killing her. Gelman then left the scene and waited several hours nearby, anticipating Yelena’s return.

When 20-year-old Yelena Bulchenko arrived home later that afternoon, she discovered her mother’s body and called 911. As she stood outside speaking to emergency dispatchers, Gelman returned. Concealing a knife in his jacket sleeve, he approached her. When Yelena realized he was there and attempted to flee, Gelman chased her down and stabbed her eleven times, killing her in the street before driving away.

(4) Maksim Gelman a 28-hour Murder Rampage | Killing Spree S1 E9 | Crime Up Close - YouTube

Shortly afterward, Gelman rammed another vehicle and confronted its driver, Arthur DiCrescento. When DiCrescento approached him, Gelman stabbed him multiple times and stole his car. DiCrescento survived the attack but suffered serious injuries.

While continuing to drive recklessly through Brooklyn, Gelman struck 62-year-old pedestrian Stephen Tanenbaum. Tanenbaum later died from his injuries, becoming the fourth fatality of the spree.

As night fell, Gelman abandoned the stolen vehicle and hailed a livery cab just before 1:00 a.m. on February 12. He stabbed the driver, Fitz Fullerton, then fled once again. A short time later, Gelman approached another vehicle occupied by a couple. He attacked the driver, Shelden Pottinger, stabbing him multiple times in the hand before stealing the car. Pottinger survived.

Despite a massive manhunt underway, Gelman remained at large until the following morning. Shortly after 8:00 a.m., he boarded a northbound 3 train near Penn Station. By this time, newspapers had published his photo, and passengers quickly recognized him as the suspect behind the killings.

Inside the subway car, Gelman banged on the conductor’s booth door, falsely identifying himself as a police officer and demanding entry. When the door did not open, he turned on Joseph Lozito, a subway ticket seller. Gelman stabbed Lozito in the head and face, inflicting severe wounds.

Lozito fought back, managing to disarm Gelman and pin him to the ground. Only after Gelman was subdued did two NYPD officers emerge from the conductor’s cab and place him under arrest.

In the aftermath, Lozito learned that the officers had been assigned to the manhunt and were aware of Gelman’s danger. Lozito later alleged that the officers remained hidden during the attack, believing Gelman was armed with a gun, and only intervened once Gelman was already restrained. Lozito filed a civil lawsuit against the City of New York, accusing police of failing to protect him. Although a judge described Lozito’s testimony as credible, the lawsuit was dismissed in 2013, ruling that police had no legal duty to intervene.

Gelman, born in Ukraine in 1987, immigrated to the United States as a child and later became a U.S. citizen. He attended Brooklyn public schools and was described by former classmates as socially isolated, with growing paranoia and antisocial behavior. He had a history of arrests related to graffiti and drug offenses and was known to abuse substances including cocaine, prescription pills, and PCP.

Gelman was arraigned two days after his arrest and later pleaded guilty to all charges. During his January 2012 sentencing, he showed no remorse, laughing and shouting in court as victims’ families looked on. The judge sentenced him to 200 years in prison, calling him a “violent sociopath.”

More than a decade later, the Maksim Gelman stabbing spree remains one of New York City’s most horrifying episodes of random violence, remembered not only for its brutality but for the lasting questions it raised about public safety, mental health, and the limits of police responsibility during moments of crisis.