Museum of Modern Art stabbing suspect arrested in Philadelphia

Gary Cabana also faces charges in connection with a hotel arson.

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Tuesday, March 15, 2022
MoMA stabbing suspect arrested in Philadelphia
Gary Cabana, wanted in connection with the MoMA double stabbing, was arrested while sleeping on a bench at a Greyhound bus terminal in Philadelphia. NJ Burkett has the details.

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- The man wanted in connection with the weekend double stabbing at the Museum of Modern Art was taken into custody while sleeping on a bench at a Greyhound bus terminal in Philadelphia Monday evening, police said Tuesday.

Gary Cabana was arrested 97 miles from Midtown, and authorities said he offered no resistance and surrendered after being on the run for more than two days.

"When police took him into custody, he did cooperate with police," Philadelphia Police Chief Insp Scott Small said. "He's being questioned at this time, and the information I received is that this individual is cooperating with police. He didn't put up a fight. He didn't resist when police took him into custody and came along with the police voluntarily. So we're lucky in that respect."

Cabana was located only after he allegedly set fire to his room at a local Best Western motel. According to fire marshalls, the fire started in two trash cans inside the room. They say there was smoke damage throughout the room due to the fire.

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The fire was quickly contained and no one was injured, but it was there that the police recognized his name on the guest register and began a city-wide search.

"It appears to be an arson," Chief Small said. "It did extensive damage to a room on the fifth floor."

Philadelphia Police say Cabana was probably near the train station or bus terminal on his way to see a relative in Florida.

Cabana is expected to face charges for the museum double stabbing following extradition to New York.

MoMA reopened Tuesday.

"MoMA reopened today, and we look forward to welcoming back our members and visitors," a spokesperson said. "We're relieved and grateful that our colleagues are recovering, and the attacker was arrested."

It was Saturday when police say Cabana jumped over the museum's front desk and stabbed two workers as they tried to flee.

Video released by the NYPD showed Cabana as he entered the museum lobby through a revolving door and suddenly then climbing onto the desk and jumping over it as a man carrying what appears to be a walkie-talkie tried in vain to stop him.

The suspect, wearing a black wool hat and a surgical mask, approached three employees who were trapped in the small space and police say he then stabbed one of them, a young woman who is able to run away seconds later, though not before she is stabbed again in the back.

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The attacker then stabbed the second employee as the man with the walkie-talkie hurls a notebook at him. That appeared to distract the attacker long enough for the second victim to flee.

The third employee was seen getting up from the ground after the attacker runs away.

Investigators believe Cabana was angry that the museum had revoked his membership the day before.

According to police, Cabana was denied entrance Saturday for previous incidents of disorderly conduct.

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