A New York City man accused of throwing scalding hot water on four people during a random attack spree in Midtown Manhattan in early March shocked court members by putting on a Cheshire cat grin as a judge ordered him held without bail on various assault charges.
Larry Martin, 42, dressed in an orange inmate jumpsuit, made his first appearance March 28, and smiled gleefully at photographers during his arraignment before Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Curtis J. Farber, who denied bail.
Unbothered, Martin maintained the smiling expression throughout the entire proceeding, and even appeared to laugh as he was led out in handcuffs.
Martin did not appear to have an attorney at the hearing and he did not appear to enter a plea.
It was not clear if Martin intended his unsettling smile as a protest but the case against him was no laughing matter.
His arrogant manner in the courtroom contradicted the serious nature of the charges, including four counts each of second-degree assault and first-degree attempted assault in connection with the frightening series of unprovoked attacks during the March 6 morning commute.
The randomness of the attacks terrified New Yorkers amid a surge in violence across Long Island in recent weeks, including the fatal shooting of a police officer, a deadly episode of gunfire on an A-train in Brooklyn, and the tragic death of a man who was pushed in front of an oncoming subway train in Harlem.
The attacks in which Martin is accused fueled increasing fear and panic, while highlighting the escalating chaos throughout the city over the course of a month.
The first of the four attacks was reported at 7:10 a.m. when a man was severely burned at East 44th Street and Lexington Avenue, where a suspect splashed hot water on the victim’s head and neck, court documents say.
Half an hour later, and further west, a 49-year-old woman was attacked by the same suspect at the corner of Sixth Avenue and West 56th Street, where the unwitting victim was hit with the scalding liquid in the face before she had time to react.
Authorities said she sustained severe burns and hearing loss.
The serial splasher struck next at 8:15 a.m. outside the Times Square subway station at the southeast corner of Seventh Avenue and West 42nd Street, where a 45-year-old woman was met with hot liquid to the face, police said.
The last attack occurred around 8:40 a.m., when the suspect flung scalding hot water onto a 27-year-old woman’s chest and hands at West 35th Street and Eighth Avenue, officials said.
All the victims are expected to fully recover.
Previous reports revealed that Martin is a homeless man with connections to a Brooklyn shelter. He underwent a mental health evaluation at a local hospital following his arrest, and could later factor into his prosecution.
Martin has been arrested twice before, once in August 2021 for allegedly assaulting a 70-year-old man in Queens, and again in 2022 when he was taken into custody in connection with the same incident.
However, Martin was never prosecuted and the case remains unresolved.
Last week, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg vowed Martin would pay for his alleged crimes, while expressing sympathy for the victims.
“Larry Martin allegedly committed violent attacks against four randomly selected individuals walking in Midtown within the span of less than two hours,” Bragg said. “My thoughts are with the victims as they heal from their extensive injuries. Nobody should fear for their safety while walking in Manhattan.”
