NEW YORK — Three NYPD officers are recovering in the hospital Sunday after they were attacked by a man with a machete near Times Square on New Year’s Eve.
As the world waited for the ball to drop, chaos broke out blocks away outside a security screening zone.
According to officials, a 19-year-old man swung a machete at an officer, then went after two others.
“One officer, an 8-year veteran, suffered a laceration to the head. The second officer, who graduated the police academy on Friday, was also struck in the head, resulting in a skull fracture and large laceration,” said Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell at an overnight news conference.
The attack happened just after 10 p.m. at West 52nd Street and Eighth Avenue.
One of the officers fired their service weapon and shot the suspect in the shoulder.
Mayor Eric Adams praised the officers’ actions.
“We’re really pleased by the response and how our officers handled this situation. All three of the officers are in stable conditions and there are no credible threats to New Yorkers at this time,” said Adams.
The FBI, NYPD and Joint Terrorism Task Force are investigating to determine the motive for the attack.
“There is no ongoing threat. We believe this was a sole individual at this time. There’s nothing to indicate otherwise,” said Mike Driscoll, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office.
Police did not immediately release the suspect’s identity or what charges he may face.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
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