Police said a man in Manhattan’s East Village was slashed in the neck in what witnesses called a random attack Thursday during the afternoon rush hour.
The horrifying incident occurred at approximately 5:22 p.m. near bustling Astor Place and Cooper Square when a male perpetrator slashed a 30-year-old man in the back of the neck with “an unknown object,” law enforcement sources said.
Police were not able to confirm yet what may have led up to the slashing, but the suspect fled the scene on foot before officers from the 9th Precinct arrived. EMS rushed the victim to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.
According to ABC 7, witnesses described the shocking incident as coming “out of nowhere” and unprovoked.
“Right before, nothing. Yeah, no altercation. Just exploded out of nowhere,” Michael Picardi, a witness, said in the article. “Normal. People having food inside, literally 30 seconds turn around, heard a commotion. The gentleman was on the floor holding his neck, blood everywhere.”
There was so much blood on scene, the FDNY had to hose down the sidewalk, according to the article.
Right now, the suspect remains at large. Police have not yet released a description.
No arrests have been made yet, but the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information in regard to the incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on X (formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips.
All calls are kept strictly confidential.
