1 shot, 2 stabbed outside New Jersey strip club

PASSAIC, New Jersey (WABC) -- One person was shot and two others stabbed outside a New Jersey strip club early Wednesday.

The incident happened outside The Palace Gentlemen's Club on Main Avenue in Passaic around 3 a.m. and was apparently the result of some sort of altercation involving several people who were leaving the establishment at closing time.

Witnesses say it started as a verbal altercation and quickly escalated to gunshots.

One man was shot in the stomach and was rushed to St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson.

Two others were hospitalized with stab or slash wounds.

It is unclear what the argument was about, but police responded to a large crowd condition outside the club.

Authorities say a vehicle described as a white or black Chevy Tahoe with as many as three people inside fled the scene, and they are hoping to speak with its occupants.

Witnesses say officers had responded to another altercation earlier in the evening, but it was unclear if the incidents were related.

There have been several other incidents outside the Palace Gentlemen's Club over the years, including a murder in 2011 and a person charged with attempted murder in 2012.