A heroic Harlem store worker described the harrowing moment he worked to save a life after two men were stabbed in a brazen, broad daylight attack on Monday.
Cops are now searching for two masked assailants after they apparently targeted a man outside of a deli on 125th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard at around 2:39 p.m. on March 19.
Sources familiar with the investigation said the masked men stabbed a 20-year-old man in the head before fleeing the area in a Jeep.
The victim was left bleeding profusely in the street, and the worker at a nearby store then jumped into action. Grabbing a hoodie, the hero (who asked not to be named) stated that he wrapped the sweater over the man’s blood drenched face.
“He was scared for his life. He was saying: ‘Where’s the ambulance, get me out out of here,’” the Good Samaritan told amNewYork Metro. “He tried to walk away but we kept him down until the ambulance arrived.”
EMS rushed the wounded man to Harlem Hospital, where he is expected to survive.
A short time later, police learned that a 39-year-old man had walked into Harlem Hospital seeking treatment for lacerations to the back of his head. Sources familiar with the case said this man was also at the scene of the crime. Cops are investigating how this victim factors into the incident.
A large amount of blood could be on seen slashed across the sidewalk and roadway following the stabbings. For many Harlem locals, crime scenes seem to have become par for the course.
“It is pretty common, violent crimes and stuff like that — it’s regular stuff,” Miguel Rojas said, who has lived in the area about a year. “It is what it is.”
No arrests have been made and the investigation remains on going.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
