Bicyclist Allegedly Goes On Stabbing Spree In NYC; 2 Men In Critical Condition

KEY POINTS

The suspect allegedly stabbed the first victim, a 30-year-old man on a skateboard, after they got into an argument
The second victim, a 34-year-old man, was stabbed less than three hours later
The incidents remain under investigation, police said

A skateboarder and another man are in critical condition after allegedly being stabbed by a bicyclist in New York City.

The suspect, identified as 44-year-old Omar Cartagena, allegedly went on a multi-borough stabbing spree across the Williamsburg Bridge Saturday, the New York Post reported, citing police and police sources.

The first victim, a 30-year-old man on a skateboard, got into an argument with Cartagena. The suspect then allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed the skateboarder once in the chest on the bridge's bike path around 10:30 a.m., police said.

After he was stabbed, the first victim managed to bring himself to an Urgent Care clinic on Driggs Avenue in Williamsburg, about eight blocks from the mouth of the bridge, sources told the outlet. He reportedly was rushed to the Elmhurst Hospital in critical condition.

Cartagena is also accused of stabbing a second victim, a 34-year-old man, in Sarah D Roosevelt Park on the Lower East Side, 10 blocks from the Manhattan entrance to the bridge, shortly after 1 p.m. It was not mentioned whether the two also got into a dispute.

The second victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition, according to the New York City Police Department.

After allegedly stabbing the second victim, Cartagena fled the scene and rode his bike across Delancey Street and back over the bridge to Brooklyn.

The suspect was apprehended by police less than two hours later at Havemeyer St. and Borinquen Place, where cyclists enter the bridge in Williamsburg, authorities said.

The incidents remain under investigation, police said.

This incident comes two weeks after a 35-year-old man died subway surfing on a train crossing Williamsburg Bridge on Oct. 2.

The man was riding on top of a Manhattan-bound J train rumbling across the bridge when he lost his balance and fell to the tracks, New York Daily News reported, citing police. He was crushed by the rest of the train and declared dead at the scene.

Police withheld the identity of the deceased until they could track down and notify family members.

J train service also ended up being suspended over the bridge for about two hours after the incident.