NYC homeless man with nearly two dozen arrests slashes church volunteer — then gets freed over DA objections: officials

An unhinged homeless man with 20 prior arrests slashed an Upper East Side church volunteer on the arm with a boxcutter — and the suspect is already back on the street, authorities said Tuesday.

Alleged violent suspect Frank Fernandez, 64, tried to get into the bathroom at the Church of St. Catherine of Siena on East 68th Street around 6:45 p.m. Saturday when the 63-year-old volunteer told him he couldn’t use it, cops and prosecutors said.

Fernandez is a known trouble-maker who had already been banned from the church’s premises, according to a criminal complaint.

The volunteer was performing janitorial work at the time, and the church was about 15 minutes away from closing, officials added.

Fernandez flew into a rage, pulling out the boxcutter and slicing his victim on his left inner arm, causing a minor cut, according to cops. 

The blade also ripped the volunteer custodian’s sweatshirt, authorities said.

The victim refused medical attention at the scene and pointed out his alleged assailant to responding cops, police said.

Fernandez was arrested and charged with both felony and misdemeanor assault and burglary charges, according to a criminal complaint. 

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office asked that Fernandez be held on $30,000 cash bail or $90,000 bond at his arraignment Sunday.

But Judge Ariel Chester granted Fernandez supervised release.

The reason for the release was not immediately clear.

But a parish priest who did not identify himself told The Post on Tuesday that the suspect and Fernandez knew each other and that the church did not want to press charges. 

Details about Fernandez’s previous arrests were not immediately available.

He does not have any other open cases in Manhattan.