Man recovering after randomly stabbed in East Village
EAST VILLAGE, Manhattan (WABC) -- Workers at a coffee hut on Astor Place have their heads on a swivel - they are steps away from where a man was randomly slashed.
Orlando Robles was working when the attack happened - the blood spattered all over the sidewalk in front of him.
"Oh it makes me feel so nervous because I've never seen something like that before. It was the first time I've ever seen that in my life. Especially here at a peaceful area," Robles said.
First responders washed away the blood Thursday evening in an area of the East Village where people drink their coffee and innocently sit, looking at their phones. Police say a 30-year-old man became a victim while doing just that.
It was enough to make Jo Dumas gasp.
"We were hoping it wasn't somebody getting hurt," Dumas said.
Dumas left the plaza yesterday, moments before police say the man was slashed in the back of the neck with a sharp object. When she returned, The plaza was closed - a pool of blood on the ground. It was a hard realization for someone who lived in the city years ago.
"I got mugged. I wasn't hurt, but I was tossed around, knocked over - then when they saw I had no money, they left me alone. But it was not the kind of weaponry where people are getting shot and stabbed like they are now," said Dumas.
"Unfortunately, nothing is safe anymore in New York," added David Itah.
Felony assaults are down more than 30 percent in the 9 Precinct, which covers the East Village, but that doesn't make Itah feel any safer.
"Maybe I shouldn't be sitting here - because it's crazy to think someone getting stabbed for no reason," said Itah.
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