Worker attacked at 30th Street Station shares story from hospital: 'I sprayed him with Windex'
"Why did this happen to me? Why did he do that? He really tried to kill me," Markell Tilley told Action News over a video call.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A maintenance worker who was attacked inside 30th Street Station is speaking out from his hospital bed and sharing how cleaning supplies helped protect him from the knife-wielding suspect.
Markell Tilley, 41, was stabbed inside a bathroom in the Center City Philadelphia station around 12:45 a.m. Monday while he was cleaning the mirrors.
Police said Tilley entered the bathroom at the same time as the suspect, who has been identified as 29-year-old Adiren Mayo of Baltimore, Maryland.
Mayo has been charged with Attempted Murder, Aggravated Assault, Possession of an Instrument of Crime and related offenses.
Tilley explained Mayo had been staring into the mirror at a cut on his face.
He asked Mayo to move so he could clean that mirror.
"I said, 'Hey, excuse me sir- I got to clean the mirrors.' He said, 'OK, go ahead.' I said, 'Are you alright?' He said, 'Yeah.' (Then) he just started looking at me," Tilley recalled to Action News over a video call.
Tilley continued cleaning and he said Mayo kept staring at him.
Then Tilley said Mayo reached into Tilley's pocket and demanded his cellphone.
They got into a tussle and that's when Tilley said Mayo stabbed him.
"He pinned me against the wall and he started stabbing me. I'm like, 'Why did this happen to me? Why did he do that? He really tried to kill me,'" Tilley said.
Police said Mayo used a folding knife to stab Tilley twice.
Looking for a way to protect himself from the attacker, Tilley grabbed the nearest item he could find - a bottle of Windex.
"My defense was to react to it. So I grabbed the bottle of Windex and I sprayed it on his cut really fast and he got mad. He took a swing, so I dipped it and we started tussling again," Tilley said.
He continued, "When he got up, I sprayed him with Windex again. Then I ran outside to police."
Tilley was stabbed in the side of his chest and ribs and said he suffered a punctured lung.
He was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center for treatment where he is listed in stable but serious condition.
Mayo fled the station, but was later located by police and arrested.
In addition to his job at 30th Street Station, Tilley is also an actor. He told Action News he has a movie opening next month.
He said he hopes he's well enough at that time to celebrate the premiere.
"It's like I have this whole picture - this dream I have - and for that moment it just got shuttered a little bit. I gotta keep my confidence up. I just prayed to God I know everything will be OK," Tilley said.
