61-year-old woman stabbed by random stranger outside diner in Midtown, Manhattan
MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) -- An investigation is underway after a woman was stabbed in the shoulder by a random stranger in Manhattan Wednesday.
Police say the incident happened around 3:40 p.m. in front of the Brooklyn Diner at 57th Street between 7th and 8th Avenue in Midtown.
They say a 61-year-old woman was walking across 57th Street when an unknown man approached and stabbed her twice in the right shoulder with a sharp object.
Construction workers nearby saw the victim stumbling after the random attack.
"She screamed," good Samaritan Jose Valencia said. "She screamed out and when she screamed, she ran off this way and that's when the guys we just started talking to her trying to help her out with the blood coming out of her arm."
It's unclear if the suspect said anything to the victim before or after slashing her.
"We noticed she was bleeding on her arm so I actually gave her like a cloth in order to tie so the blood would stop," Valencia said. "And then she said the guy started running off that way."
She was taken to Mount Sinai West in stable condition.
Authorities say the suspect fled westbound towards 8th Avenue and 57th Street, wearing an orange-hooded sweatshirt.
Police believe the suspect is homeless.
Longtime residents say they've noticed the area isn't what it used to be.
"This is a very disgusting scenario," resident Rick Bogart said. "This is a very nice area of town. I've lived here, I've walked this street a million times and then to have somebody. You know people are walking around now destitute, hungry, they're hurting."
No arrests have been made so far and the investigation is ongoing.
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