A 31-year-old McDonald's worker in East Harlem is fighting for his life after being stabbed in the chest, neck and arm as he tried to break up some sort of dispute involving his fellow employees and a man early Wednesday, cops say.
A man entered the fast-food joint on Third Avenue and East 117th Street around 12:45 a.m. and attempted to place an order with a cashier, before going to a kiosk to place the order, according to a senior NYPD official with direct knowledge of the incident. Shortly after, he went back to the counter where he appeared to start arguing with the cashier.
Police said the victim heard the commotion and came out of the kitchen with a stick.
He was attacked with a box cutter, leaving a gruesome crime scene that spread from behind the counter all the way to the lobby. The victim was stabbed numerous times, a senior NYPD official said.
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The suspect was last seen wearing a ski mask as he ran west on 117th Street. No arrests have been made.
A husband of an employee who rushed to the scene, fearing his wife was in danger, told News 4 he thought the argument involved an unruly customer, but police say that element of the case remains under investigation at this time.
The victim's sister, who was at the McDonald's Wednesday to collect his things, says he's in a coma so she hasn't been able to speak to him -- but she said he's expressed concern about working those late-night hours. She also confirmed their mother was en route to the city from the Dominican Republic to help as she can.
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McDonald's released a statement Wednesday saying it was "shocked and dismayed by this senseless and unprovoked attack on one of our employees."
"The safety of our employees and customers is our top priority. We will continue cooperating with the NYPD and supporting our colleague and friend as they recover," the statement from owner/operator Bruce Colley said.
The bloody stabbing at the McDonald's happened just a few blocks from where a 19-year-old Burger King cashier was shot and killed, allegedly by a former worker at the restaurant, during a robbery attempt earlier this year.
Anyone with information on the McDonald's case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.
