Homeless man stabbed on troubled Chinatown street where vendors fear for safety

Cops in Chinatown are looking for the suspect who stabbed a homeless man on Thursday morning in an area where, local street vendors say, drug use and unhoused individuals are common sights.

According to police sources, a 45-year-old man was stabbed in the arm near the corner of Division and Eldridge Streets, beneath the Manhattan Bridge, at around 9:16 a.m. on June 6. The motive for the attack was not immediately known.

Officers from the 5th Precinct responded to the scene. The victim was rushed to Bellevue Hospital by EMS where he is suspected to survive. Police say a weapon has not been recovered.

Reminders of the bloody assault were still visible at the crime scene midday on Thursday. A large splatter of blood had been smeared across the sidewalk beside a cardboard box and several crates, with another long, winding blood trail leading down the block.

Homeless man stabbed on troubled Chinatown street where vendors fear for safety 5 — A long, winding blood trail ran out of the crime scene parameter cops had created and led down the blockPhoto by Dean Moses

Homeless man stabbed on troubled Chinatown street where vendors fear for safety 6 — A senior who has sold fruit just feet from where the stabbing took place for over three decades says the area has gone downhill over the years to the point he feels afraid for his life. Photo by Dean Moses

Vendors who operate in the area say the violence adds to a climate of fear in the neighborhood.

“Homeless come here every day and use drugs,” said one senior vendor, who has peddled fruit in the community for more than 30 years; he declined to provide his name out of fear of retribution. “I ask him to move, and he take a needle and threaten me: ‘I will f**king kill you,’ they say. I am so scared.”

The same vendor showed amNewYork Metro a discarded needle by the curb, and noted that thieves have frequently stolen fruit from him.

Sources within the Chinatown Business Improvement District say that altercations between homeless and substance-dependent people are not uncommon in the area. They say many of the troubled individuals congregate at nearby Sara D. Roosevelt Park, which has had long-standing issues with homelessness and drug use, as amNewYork Metro previously reported.

The Chinatown BID has installed cameras around the community to increase security and assist police in catching criminals.

As for Thursday’s stabbing, police say the suspect remains at large. So far, no arrests have been made in the ongoing investigation.

Anyone with information regarding the incident can 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.