The employees were stabbed in the back, the collarbone and in the back of the neck and were rushed “within minutes” to a nearby hospital where they received immediate care and are in stable condition, said Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller during a news conference on Saturday evening.
“At approximately 4:15 this afternoon, an individual entered the museum, attempted to gain entrance presenting his membership card and was denied entrance because his membership had expired. His membership had expired as a result of two incidents involving disorderly conduct here at the museum on two separate dates in recent days,” Miller said.
“He became upset about not being allowed entrance and then jumped over the reception desk and proceeded to attack and stab two employees of the museum multiple times,” Miller added.
The suspect, who is a regular at the MoMa, is known to the NYPD and is wanted by the department in connection with two other incidents in Midtown Manhattan where the museum is located, Miller said.
“The individual involved in this incident is known to us and we are endeavoring to locate this person right now,” Miller said, adding that the suspect was caught on video leaving the museum and police have a direction of his flight. The incident is still unfolding and the investigation is in its early stages, police said.
The description of the suspect, a White male wearing a black jacket and surgical mask, was released immediately over division radio units in the area and an immediate search was initiated by units that responded to the vicinity of the scene, according to Miller.
In videos shared on social media, dozens of people are seen leaving the museum in a large crowd.
“We weren’t told what was going on, just that they had to close the exhibits immediately,” MoMa patron Tina Rook told CNN. “A woman did say it was an emergency,” Rook said, adding that the whole incident was handled very well by police and museum officials.
Miller said security officers were at the scene when the stabbings took place, but it was a “rapidly unfolding spontaneous incident.”
Mayor Eric Adams has begun implementing his comprehensive plan to combat gun violence and crime in the city. Part of the plan includes reviving the NYPD’s controversial anti-crime unit. Neighborhood safety teams will be tasked with patrolling high-crime neighborhoods starting on Monday.
The city recorded a 41% increase in overall major crime through the first months of 2022 compared to the same period last year, including a nearly 54% increase in robberies, a 56% increase in grand larceny incidents and a 22% increase in rape reports, the data shows.
Adams unveiled his “Blueprint to End Gun Violence” in January, which includes long-term goals to grow economic opportunities, improve child education and provide more access to mental health resources while addressing the gun crisis.
