During New Year’s Eve celebrations in Times Square, a 19-year-old who investigators believe may be an Islamic extremist attacked an NYPD officer in the head with a machete on his first day on the job.
At 9:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, witnesses initially reported hearing gunfire and saw scores of police officers hurrying to the gruesome scene, blocks away from where thousands were gathering to ring in 2023. The celebrations continued without interruption.
Commissioner Keechant Sewell stated at an overnight press conference that 19-year-old Trevor Bickford of Wells, Maine reportedly attacked two officers with a huge knife on 8th Avenue between 51st and 52nd streets.
Another cop fired at the suspect and struck him in the shoulder with a bullet. According to officials, all of the injured were sent to Bellevue Hospital, where they are in critical but stable condition.
The rookie officer, identified as Paul by Mayor Eric Adams, sustained a “major laceration” and a fractured skull, according to Sewell.
Mayor Eric Adams stated at a recent press conference that he had spoken with one of the injured officers while he was being treated at the hospital.
Adams stated, “He was in high spirits.” Today, he recognized that his contribution saved the lives of New Yorkers.
The New York Post claims that Paul, one of the injured, is assigned to a Staten Island precinct but was brought into Manhattan for the New Year’s Eve celebrations.
The attack was “unprovoked,” Adams stated at the overnight press conference. Sewell and Adams both emphasized that there is no “active threat” to the neighborhood.
The attack occurred close beyond the security zone in Times Square, where thousands of people had gathered to watch the New Year’s Eve ball drop. The police conducted a search of the revelers for contraband such as booze, large bags, and firearms.
A police source informed the Post that bags and umbrellas are prohibited in Time Square. They neglected to discuss machetes.
Workers at a nearby halal stand told the New York Daily News that they heard what sounded like explosions or gunfire.
I simply heard the sounds Bang! Bang! Prodip Bisws clarified Oh my god, the people were running!
At 52nd Street and 8th Avenue, a video from the scene shows officers attempting to manage the situation shooing away revelers.
Officers are shown yelling at people to leave the crime scene.
A witness told the newspaper, “They moved the barricades quite quickly.” He was a police officer in front of the barricade area, and he lifted it so that police cars could drive quickly; as a result, the barricade collapsed and the car struck it. He received a double whammy.
One hour before the incident, the throng in the neighborhood became unruly and attempted to pull down barricades, according to the Post story.
At 8:45 p.m., another guy was stabbed in Bryant Park on 42nd Street after a knife was used. This victim’s status is also stable in Bellevue.
Authorities stated that they did not feel there was an ongoing threat to the public as they investigated the attack’s motivation.
The associate director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office, Michael Driscoll, stated that investigators believe the attacker acted alone.
Authorities informed NBC NewYork that they are investigating whether the suspect uploaded terrorist writings online in the past and then perhaps traveled to New York City to target cops.
Every year, the NYPD prepares a large security effort to ensure the safety of the New Year’s Eve throng. Thousands police officers, including many fresh recruits, are stationed in the area.
The streets where the largest crowds gather to watch performances and the midnight ball drop are only accessible through checkpoints equipped with metal-detection wands.
Large totes and coolers are prohibited. In order to prevent automobile attacks in the secure area, barriers are installed.
However, the security perimeter can only extend so far. The attack occurred on 8th Avenue, which is frequently packed with dense crowds negotiating the frozen zone or searching for secure entries.
This event occurred within a few blocks of where a man was stabbed eight times on Saturday morning. The suspect in this assault is still at large.
A spokesperson for the NYPD described the 41-year-old homeless victim as ‘uncooperative’ after he was stabbed around eight times in the vicinity of West 40th Street and Seventh Avenue at 11 a.m.
The person is being hospitalized at Bellevue Hospital and is in critical but stable condition, according to the police.
Photos from the incident depict blood splattered on a police car and the street in front of a pizzeria near the Times Square subway station.
This year, fatal stabbings and slashings have increased by an astounding 37 percent in New York City.
The NYPD has recorded 96 blade-related homicides thus far in 2022, compared to 70 for the same period in 2021, when such crimes were already on the rise from previous years.
Overall, the number of stabbings and slashings has increased by 10 percent this year, from 3,954 to 4,344.
New York City continues to experience an increase in crime.
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