NYC homeless stabbings: Suspect in custody
NEW YORK - The NYPD has arrested a suspect in connection with the stabbings of three homeless men in separate attacks across Manhattan in recent days. One victim died.
At a press conference a day earlier, Commissioner Keechant Sewell said, "We need to get this killer off our streets as quickly and as safely as possible,"
On July 5 at about 3:09 a.m., the suspect approached a 34-year-old man lying on a bench on the Henry Hudson River Parkway in Greenwich Village and took out a sharp object and stabbed the man in the stomach. The victim was rushed to Bellevue Hospital where he died.
The suspect fled northbound on foot.
Surveillance video showed the man riding a Citi Bike a short time later.
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On July 8 at about 10 p.m., a 59-year-old man was lying on a bench at Madison Avenue and East 49th Street when he was stabbed in the stomach. He was taken to NY Presbyterian in stable condition.
On July 11 at about 3:30 a.m., a 28-year-old man lying inside Stanley Isaac Playground on the Upper East Side was stabbed in the stomach. He was taken to Metropolitan Hospital in stable condition.
Chief of Detectives James Essig said security camera video shows the attacker waiting for a half-hour before attacking one victim, who was sleeping nearby.
"This incident caught on video shows the perpetrator sitting on a bench for approximately 30 minutes while our victim is sleeping," Essig said. "The perpetrator then puts on a COVID mask, walks over and stabs our victim one time and walks off."
Anyone with information in regard to these incidents was asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public could also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or on Twitter @NYPDTips.