Eerie scene as knife-wielding man stalks group of musicians in Times Square

13 July 2023 , 16:33

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An unhinged man clutching a large knife stalked a group of oblivious musicians in Times Square Wednesday morning (Image: Richard Moore)

The moment a man brandishing a large knife stalked a group of musicians in Times Square, grabbing one of them from behind, has been captured by an eagle-eyed photographer.

Clutching the blade, the man was standing on a granite bench, flashing the weapon at tourists who passed by an inexplicably screaming on Broadway between West 43rd and 44th streets at around 10am. Photographer Richard Moore, of Hell's Kitchen, said: "I thought, 'Oh, this isn't very good'."

As the photographer moved closer, he saw the erratic man jump off the bench and start to trail a group of musical performers, who he said appeared to be Romanian. Mr Moore said: "I noticed he had this knife in one hand and he got close enough to one of the musicians to put his other hand on the musician's shoulder."

Mr Moore captured the chilling moment on camera, where the man, dressed in red, can be seen with his left hand on the shoulder of the musician and his right hand down at his side holding onto the blade. Mr Moore thought the worst at first, however the knife-wielding man suddenly backed off and returned to his spot on the bench.

Police arrest the 'deranged' man (Richard Moore)

Mr Moore told the New York Post he called 911 after witnessing the chilling encounter at the Crossroads of the World. He said he feared the next encounter could have ended in disaster.

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Around 12 minutes later, cops arrived. Mr Moore recalled: "Police got him from behind... I don't know if they grabbed the knife or he dropped it.

"It was dealt with very peacefully and quickly. They took him down safely for him and others."

The knife-wielding man in red was identified by police as 22-year-old Dequon Messiah. He was arrested and charged with menacing, harassment and criminal possession of a weapon according to the NYPD.

This terrifying encounter comes just after new research has shown a large portion of New Yorkers are more scared than they have ever been. The poll from Siena College found that 41 per cent of New Yorkers have "never" been so fearful for their own safety.

Police officer holding what appears to be a knife at the scene (Richard Moore)

The majority said crime is a "very" or "somewhat" serious problem in the area. Mayor Eric Adams, however, downplayed the poll results. He blamed the media for reporting on crime, which he claimed: "Plays on your psyche."

Speaking to Fox 5 New York, Mayor Adams said: "[New Yorkers] start their day picking up the news, the morning papers... and they see some of the most horrific events that may happen throughout the previous day."

According to the poll, almost one in 10 New Yorkers said they have either been physically assaulted or the victim of a burglary over the last year. Some citizens have even taken things into their own hands, purchasing security cameras, firearms and pepper spray or signing up for self-defense classes.

Fiona Leishman