One migrant teenager is dead and another was seriously injured in a Lower Manhattan stabbing on Thursday night carried out by a group of attackers allegedly angered that the victims did not speak English, law enforcement sources said.
Police said the bloodshed occurred at about 7:35 p.m. in front of 17 John St. in the Financial District.
According to police sources, a group of three men approached the two victims — 17-year-old Yeremi Colino and an 18-year-old man — and asked them if they spoke English.
When the two victims said they did not speak English, cops said, the group of men went on the attack — stabbing Colino, who stayed at the Roe Hotel in Midtown, in the torso and the 18-year-old in the left arm.
“I saw it like 20 seconds after it happened,” said one witness, 23-year-old Javier Pau. “I’m pretty sure they were stabbing and walking, like on the way here, and then next thing I know, I saw the kid and he was covered in blood.”
Pau said he was eating at the time and the attack left him shaken. “I got lightheaded,” Pau said.
Officers from the 1st Precinct responded to the incident. EMS rushed both victims to Bellevue Hospital, where Colino was pronounced dead. The 18-year-old victim is expected to survive.
Police cordoned off the area as detectives combed over the scene. Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry could be seen behind police tape; he had rushed to the scene after responding to a police-involved shooting in Brooklyn earlier on Thursday.
So far, no arrests have been made in the ongoing investigation, police said. It is not yet clear if the case is being investigated as a hate crime.
Police urge anyone with information about the deadly stabbing to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
