The family of a 36-year-old mother who was stabbed near Times Square in broad daylight is speaking out about the unprovoked attack.
John Lohr, whose wife Amber was assaulted by a man with a knife while chaperoning a group of schoolgirls on a class trip, says the family has no plans to return to New York City.
“We don’t feel safe there,” Lohr told the New York Post.
The incident took place near Port Gourmet Deli on West 43rd and Eighth Avenue on Saturday evening.
VIDEO SHOWS NYC MAN STAB RANDOM WOMAN NEAR TIMES SQUARE
A man was seen on camera lunging at two women near Times square in New York City, before stabbing one of them and returning back to his walker to smoke a cigarette. (WNYW)
Amber Lohr was escorting the students by the Port Gourmet Deli near Time Square when the man, identified as 61-year-old Cyril Destin, allegedly lunged at her with a kitchen knife.
The attack was caught on video obtained by the New York Post. Surveillance footage shows a man walking out of the deli before placing his walker against the building and sitting on the walker’s seat.
The man, wearing gray pants, a bright fluorescent green shirt, black jacket and orange hat then lights up a cigarette, crosses his arms and reaches inside the jacket.
He then appeared to pull a large kitchen knife out of his jacket, lunged toward two women and slashed one of them, Lohr, before returning to his walker seat and smoking his cigarette.
MAN STABBED OUTSIDE NYC MIGRANT SHELTER, 2 SUSPECTS BELIEVED TO BE INVOLVED: NYPD
NYPD is investigating the bizarre and unprovoked stabbing. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
The suspected attacker, Destin, has been arrested 24 times over the past 20 years for things like criminal mischief and trespassing, the Post’s NYPD sources said.
“A guy with a very lengthy record went out of nowhere and attacked my wife by stabbing her into the chest and within inches of her life being lost,” Lohr’s husband said.
John Lohr described his wife as a “hero” for protecting the children even as blood from the stab wound soaked through her clothes.
“My wife not only had taken the stabbing but should also be considered a hero by remaining in front of the children, coaching them to go backwards without turning around,” John told the Post.
AT LEAST 2 INJURED IN PARTY BOAT STABBING NEAR NEW YORK CITY PIER
The shocking stabbing attack happened outside the Port Gourmet Deli near Times Square on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (Google Street View screenshot)
Once the students were safe, Amber told a bystander she had been stabbed and the bystander ran for help.
“Whomever she was, ‘Thank you,'” John said. He also thanked the “strong and fearless” girls on the trip for keeping calm and helping his wife, though they were “scared out of their minds.”
Amber Lohr was treated for her wounds on the sidewalk before being taken to Bellevue Hospital. Surveillance video shows the suspect was still holding the knife when police officers arrived, the Post reported.
“This man could have murdered my wife or even worse, one of the children she was chaperoning,” John Lohr said. “To think I could have been planning a funeral rather than celebrating my wife on Mother’s Day is sickening to me.”
Destin, who reportedly resides in a shelter across the street from the crime scene, was charged with second-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, the New York City Police Department said.
He has yet to be arraigned, according to District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office.
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Police sources told the Post the suspect has a history of “erratic and destructive behavior.”
The Lohrs believe Destin is a danger to New York City and should be locked away where he cannot do more harm.
“This man will strike again, and maybe the next person may not be as fortunate,” John told the Post.
“I will not accept anything but the max sentence for him,” he added. “This man doesn’t only need to be jailed but institutionalized permanently following his well-deserved lengthy sentencing.”
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this update.
