Port Authority police officer meets with neighbor he saved after Queens stabbing attack
CORONA, Queens (WABC) -- An off-duty Port Authority police officer who helped save his Queens neighbor after she was stabbed in June met her Wednesday for the first time since the attack.
It was a bittersweet meeting for the two because the last time Port Authority Police Officer Giovanni Urena saw his neighbor Beatriz Heurta, she was being rushed to the hospital after she had been stabbed several times in the back and stomach in Corona.
He was holding down the man who plunged a kitchen knife into the mother of three.
"My instincts kicked in, I just had to go help her," Giovanni said. "I couldn't let him get away or for her to die or anything like that."
Beatriz is now strong enough to fill in the blanks, telling Giovanni how her neighbor, the suspect, tricked her into opening her front door after telling her he had her mail. Once she opened the door, he pounced.
Beatriz then fought back, which is when he stabbed her. Giovanni heard her screaming and while wearing only jeans, ran out of his apartment, tracked down the suspect and called 911.
"While I was screaming, he was pulling me inside," Beatriz said. "He got me inside and said 'Give me everything or else I'll kill you'."
At the time Beatriz had one thing on her mind and that was protecting her family. There were five children inside her apartment, including her 2-year-old daughter.
"I'm actually very glad to see her recovering and to be with her family, very very glad," Giovanni said.
Giovanni received a proclamation from the city and admits all of the attention is awkward, but says he would do it again in a heartbeat.
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