Stabbing in East Village: 1 dead, 2 injured, police say

EAST VILLAGE, Manhattan (WABC) – According to police, a man stabbed three people at an intersection in the East Village.

It happened just before 6 p.m. on Sunday near 14th Street and Avenue A. It’s a block that neighbors say is riddled with illegal street vendors, drug use and crime – an area that even Mayor Eric Adams called “disgusting” during a town hall meeting in February.

A 38-year-old man died from a stab wound to the neck. Two other people are being treated for stab wounds, including a 51-year-old woman who is in critical condition.

A suspect is in police custody.

The motive is unknown, but neighbors have called on the city to clean up this block of 14th Street, which has become an eyesore caused by persistent bootleggers who sometimes sell illicit drugs.

“We need police officers here. In New York City, there are sirens all the time, and they need to be here, and they should have been here,” said Katelyn Rodrigues.

The bloody street brawl occurred Sunday evening in front of customers leaving Trader Joe’s.

“One of the men involved in this crazy altercation was stabbed in the neck, and a woman who was with him was stabbed. And they were just crawling around on the floor, practically swimming in their own blood,” said eyewitness Talia Rodofsky.

Another witness saw the police arrest the knifeman.

“Someone threw a lamp at the guy’s head and eventually the police came. They arrested him in the middle of the street,” added Owen Barbagallo.

The blood-soaked debris is located in a block of East 14th Street where illegal vendors are constantly selling a variety of items.

“The cops come, give out tickets and throw people out or do nothing at all. In this case, sometimes a very violent fight breaks out. Drugs, people selling drugs, taking drugs. A lot of heroin,” said Emre Sevindik.

Sevindik grew up in the neighborhood and saw the chaos that reigned on the block between First Avenue and Avenue A during COVID.

“And the homeless have taken over the streets, especially the sidewalks,” she adds.

The weekly flea market at the Church of the Immaculate Conception spread out onto the street and became an everyday affair – and chaos.

Sevindik’s father owns a legal fruit stand in the block.

“My family follows the rules. You need a license, you need a permit,” she says.

Earlier this year, Mayor Adams acknowledged the problem at a town hall meeting.

“I was walking down that block and it was disgusting. The patrol commander met me there and I asked, ‘What is that?'” Adams said.

The mayor promised change, but now neighbors say things have only gotten worse. They hope something will change after this, but say it should never have happened.

“So it takes an innocent New Yorker being injured or – God forbid – killed in broad daylight on the street for you to crack down or tighten the screws?” Sevindik said.

Charges are still pending against the 30-year-old suspect. The police have confiscated the weapon described as a “cutting tool.” The deceased victim has not yet been identified.

Police are still trying to determine the motive for the stabbing.

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