Teen Fatally Stabbed, 4 Others Injured While Tubing On Wisconsin River; Suspect Arrested

Wisconsin -- A 17-year-old was fatally stabbed, and four people were severely injured after a man attacked them Saturday, while they were tubing on a busy Wisconsin river, authorities said.

The 52-year-old suspect and the victim were from Minnesota.

The survivors -- a woman and three men, who were all in their early 20s -- were transferred to a hospital for treatment, ABC7 reported. They were reportedly in critical condition.

St. Croix County Sheriff Scott Knudson told the media the suspect was taken into custody approximately 90 minutes after he went on a stabbing spree near Apple River, The New York Post reported.

According to jail records from St. Croix County, the man was detained without bail on suspicion of first-degree homicide, four charges of aggravated battery, and four counts of mayhem. The names of the victims and the suspect were not disclosed.

Investigations are in place to determine the cause of the stabbings. The authorities are also trying to find if there is any connection between the victims and the suspect, according to Knudson.

There were two other groups tubing with the victims, NBC New York reported. The Apple river is a tourist hotspot for camping and tubing.

“We don’t know yet who was connected to who, who knew each other, or what precipitated it,” Knudson said. “We’re actually in the process of trying to divert some of the tubing traffic around our crime scene so that alone is causing some challenges, trying to get them off the river, gathering up what we can in a hard to get to the area.”

The stabbing attack transpired on a secluded stretch of the river close to Somerset, Wisconsin, which is located about 35 miles east of Minneapolis. The suspect was captured when he was exiting the river downstream.

“Thank goodness a witness had taken a photo of him,” Knudson said. “Another witness located him at the exit of the tubing area, where he was taken into custody.”

The region hasn't witnessed any incident of stabbing in the last 15 years, the authorities said.