A volunteer working for the campaign of New York City mayoral candidate Eric Adams was stabbed multiple times in broad daylight over the weekend, authorities said.
The incident happened around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday and involved a 42-year-old male victim who was stabbed four times on Morris Avenue in the South Bronx area while talking with a potential voter, police sources told the New York Post.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) has since released video footage that shows two potential suspects in the stabbing incident.
The suspect portrayed first in the footage allegedly stabbed the victim multiple times. He is described as a black male wearing a white tank top, camouflage pants, red shoes, and a red bandanna tied around his head.
His alleged accomplice is pictured later in the video wearing a sweatshirt with the word “privileged” printed in multiple colors across the front.
????WANTED for ASSAULT: Do you know these guys? On 6/20/21 at approx 2:30 PM, in front of 594 Morris Ave in the Bronx, the suspects stabbed a 42-year-old male victim multiple times with a knife before fleeing. Any info? DM @NYPDTips, or anonymously call them at 800-577-TIPS. pic.twitter.com/m7dKxTUIt2
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) June 21, 2021
Adams, a retired police officer who is running in the 2021 NYC mayoral election for the Democratic primary, described the victim during an unrelated event as “one of our most committed volunteers.”
“A member of Team Adams—who has been working hard & volunteering every day—was stabbed in the Bronx,” the mayoral frontrunner wrote on social media along with a picture of the stabbing scene, adding that the victim required surgery and is reported to be in stable condition.
Adams announced during the event it is unclear what the stabbing is connected to and he is not sure if it was politically related. He also said that the weapon used was an ice pick, describing it as “one of the most dangerous weapons” that can be used in a stabbing.
Police sources also told the New York Post an ice pick and a knife were recovered from the scene, but it remains unclear who the weapons belonged to.
Maya Wiley, a lawyer and civil rights activist who is also running in the 2021 NYC mayoral election, said her “heart hurts” after learning about the stabbing incident.
“My thoughts are with he [sic] and his family and my heart hurts for Team Adams today,” Wiley said on Twitter. “New Yorkers shouldn’t have to fear walking down the street.”
Several other mayoral candidates and government officials, including Andrew Yang and Kathryn Garcia, also expressed condolences to the victim and his family.
The incident comes as crimes in New York City have spiraled and shootings skyrocketed in recent months, as the NYPD saw a nearly 90 percent rise in retirements in 2020.
According to a June 3 NYPD press release that shows the citywide crime statistics, crime in New York City rose by 22 percent last month compared with May 2020.
The NYPD has increased the presence of its unarmed volunteer force at subway stations in May to combat this rise.
“NYPD cops have shown us time and again they are willing to go in harm’s way on behalf of all New Yorkers,” Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said. “It is this commitment to our collective public safety—in tandem with the communities we serve—that will allow our great city to prevail in the challenges we face together.”
Sunday’s attack also came just days after a horrifying shooting in the Bronx on June 17 that narrowly missed killing two young children.