Waleska Morales, 48, shrieked in horror and nearly collapsed when she learned from reporters that her former common-law husband stood accused of rampaging through Penn Station with a dagger Sunday — a bloody spree that left five people injured at the busy Midtown transit hub.
Hector Deleon, 51, was taken into custody by Amtrak Police following the attack. Law enforcement sources said he remained sedated at a local hospital and was expected to face five counts of assault with intent to cause serious personal injury with a weapon for allegedly slashing the victims inside the station.
Background
Morales recounted her turbulent 14-year relationship with Deleon, describing a pattern of escalating violence that ultimately forced their separation three years ago. She said she obtained an order of protection against him after enduring what she described as sustained physical and verbal abuse.
"Me and him been separated three years for domestic violence," Morales told the New York Post. "He physical and verbal abused me. He hit me with the closed fist."
She also recounted a disturbing encounter two weeks before Sunday's attack, when Deleon allegedly showed up at her residence despite the protection order.
"Last time I saw him he was the same, bad," Morales said. "He knocked on our door two weeks ago and I told the security guards that he's not supposed to be up here."
Deleon's criminal history stretches back nearly two decades, with records showing at least seven arrests since 2008 across New Jersey jurisdictions. Court documents reveal a disturbing pattern of violence that authorities say parallels Sunday's attack.
In June 2022, Deleon allegedly stabbed a man in the neck along Frelinghuysen Avenue in Newark using a six-inch blade, leaving the victim requiring nine stitches for his wounds. He pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and was sentenced the following year to just two years of probation — a disposition that would prove consequential.
Tito Fernandez, 48, who operates an auto repair shop along Frelinghuysen Avenue, said he had known Deleon for roughly 15 years as a regular presence in the neighborhood. He described watching his acquaintance deteriorate over time.
"It's got to be the drugs," Fernandez said. "When he's not on drugs he's a regular person."
Fernandez recalled that Deleon appeared to have turned a corner after completing a drug rehabilitation program, emerging from housing with improved health and demeanor — only to spiral downward within days of returning to substance use.
"He used to be a nice person then he got into the drugs and f—ed his life up," Fernandez said. "I didn't see him all winter he came out from the housing — the drug rehab. He looked good he looked fat and he looked nice and then three days on the drugs he looked skinny. Crazy eyes."
The Investigation
Amtrak Police continue their investigation into Sunday's attack, working in coordination with the NYPD and New Jersey law enforcement agencies familiar with Deleon's prior encounters with the criminal justice system.
Records show that despite his 2022 conviction for aggravated assault involving a similar stabbing methodology, Deleon remained free during his probationary period. Court documents indicate at least one documented violation of probation terms and an arrest in a separate domestic violence incident — neither of which resulted in incarceration.
His most recent brush with law enforcement before Sunday occurred on May 22, when surveillance video captured Deleon reaching into a tip jar at a Dunkin' Donuts location near the Long Branch Railroad Station in New Jersey. The manager of that establishment said she had observed him frequently at the station across the street, often yelling at passersby.
"I see him some times at the station across the street, yelling," the manager said. "Yelling at people."
Among those injured during Sunday's rampage was Henry Obadiah, 60, who showed reporters the wounds he sustained in the attack.
Key Takeaways
- Hector Deleon, 51, allegedly attacked five people with a dagger inside Penn Station on Sunday before being apprehended by Amtrak Police
- He faces five counts of assault with intent to cause serious personal injury with a weapon and remains hospitalized under sedation
- A 2022 stabbing conviction in Newark — eerily similar to Sunday's attack — resulted in only two years probation despite the severity of the offense
- Deleon was free on probation at the time of the Penn Station spree despite documented violations and a domestic violence arrest during that period
- His ex-wife Waleska Morales obtained a protection order against him after three years of alleged physical and verbal abuse during their 14-year relationship
What's Next
Deleon is expected to be formally charged once he is medically cleared to appear in court. Prosecutors have not yet indicated whether they will pursue additional charges or seek elevated bail given his prior record. The investigation into Sunday's attack remains active as authorities review surveillance footage and interview witnesses from the busy transit hub.
A preliminary hearing date has not yet been set, though court officials indicate formal arraignment could occur within the next two weeks pending his medical condition.