The woman accused of stabbing a tourist while changing her baby’s diaper inside a bathroom at Macy’s Herald Square’s flagship store last month was indicted on Wednesday as more information surrounding the attack emerged.
Kerri Aherne, 43, appeared in a Manhattan courtroom on Jan. 7. She wore khaki prison garb and sat with her hands handcuffed behind her back. The suspect bit her lip slightly as she listened to Judge Ann Thompson.
Aherne, who has a prior mental illness history and had been released from the Manhattan Psychiatric Center just hours before the assault, allegedly went on the attack just before 3:15 p.m. on Dec. 10, 2025.
Prosecutors said Aherne allegedly bought a knife inside the massive department store on West 34th Street and 7th Avenue, then walked into the seventh-floor bathroom where she found a 38-year-old mother changing her baby.
Aherne allegedly approached the victim — who hails from California — from behind and began stabbing her in the back with the knife, completely unprovoked, prosecutors say.
During the assault, the 10-month-old tot fell from the changing table to the ground, but was ultimately unharmed. The mother fought back, pulling the knife from her grasp and pushing her further into the restroom.
Meanwhile, Aherne was restrained by the victim’s boyfriend and store security workers until Midtown South Precinct officers came to take her into custody.
“The thousands of families that visit Manhattan during the holiday season deserve to be safe while shopping and celebrating with their loved ones,” said District Attorney Bragg. “As alleged, Kerri Aherne carried out a horrific and unprovoked stabbing of a mother who was simply caring for her 10-month-old baby,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said. “ This tourist was attacked inside one of the city’s largest and most frequented department stores, posing public safety implications for employees, visitors, and New Yorkers alike. I wish the victim a swift recovery.”
The unnamed mother was treated at Bellevue Hospital, where she received stitches for wounds she suffered to her back, arm, and head.
Prosecutors say Aherne, who had spent years confined to a psychiatric facility in her native Massachusetts, told police that she attacked the tourist because voices in her head told her that she had to kill somebody or she herself would be killed.
Aherne left Massachusetts in an Uber in the summer of 2024, prosecutors say, while out of the hospital on temporary leave. She also allegedly made comments stating that she could no longer tolerate hospitals and wanted to go to prison rather than return to the hospital.
Aherne is charged with attempted murder, attempted assault, assault, and endangering the welfare of a child. Judge Thompson ordered her held in custody without bail, and to return to court for a Feb. 11 hearing.
