After Slashing on UWS, Cops Nab Suspect Sitting in Car Near His Parent’s Apt.
Mom saw the attack on tv that seriously injured a Danish tourist on the UWS and recognized the alleged suspect as her own troubled son. She reportedly called police, who already had a photo of the license plate of the suspect’s car taken by an eyewitness.
A suspect was arrested in the early morning hours of Nov. 21 for the slashing attack of a tourist on the Upper West Side shortly before 11 a.m. the previous morning.
Joshua Zinberg, 25, was charged with attempted murder, two counts of assault and possession of a deadly weapon. Prosecutors filed a filed a certificate of affirmative grand jury action on Nov. 27 but the indictment will remain sealed until his Supreme Court arraignment on Dec. 16, a spokesperson for district attorney Alvin Bragg said.
Cops said the 55-year-old male victim was walking in front of 114 West 86 Street at around 10:20 a.m. on November 20 at the time of the attack, which was captured on surveillance video.
Eyewitness accounts and video surveillance, said Zinberg left his parked car and ran across Columbus Avenue and came up behind the man described by prosecutors as a 55 year-old “international tourist” who was walking along 86th St. The victim was said to be a former professional soccer player from Denmark, according to ABC7 Eyewitness News with no prior connection to the alleged assailant.
Zinberg is said to have raced up behind the victim, knife in hand and slashed the man from behind across the right side of his face, through his ear, and into his neck.
The victim who was walking with two friends, turned around and saw the defendant running back the way he came. Zinberg reportedly shouted “F*** you,” at the tree men before fleeing.
The super of a nearby building gave the victim a shirt, towel to apply to his wounds. “He was bleeding so badly,” the super told the Daily News. “He was losing feeling in his face. He was in shock.”
An eyewitness took a picture of the car and its license plates as Zinberg fled. Detectives ran the plates and saw that the orange 2024 Subaru Crosstrek car was registered to the defendant at 170 W. 85th St, which was one block from the scene of the attack, where Zinberg lived there with his parents.
Wanted flyers bearing the picture of his car and stills of the defendant that were taken from the video surveillance were being circulated.
The city was reeling because it was at least the second knife attack in Manhattan in less than a week. In a horrific attack on November 18, a homeless individual stabbed two men and a woman in separate unprovoked attacks in the Chelsea, Tudor City and Kips Bay neighborhoods. Ramon Ramirez, 51, was arrested for those attacks as he tried to flee First Ave. just south of the UN Building.
NYPD officers spotted the defendant while he was sitting in his car in front of his home address at 1 a.m. on Nov. 21, some 13 hours after the attack and he was arrested without incident.
Prosecutors said Zinberg was wearing the same shorts and shoes that he wore in the video surveillance during the slashing. Police officers recovered a knife from his person when he was being searched post-arrest. While the defendant has no prior criminal history bail was set at $150,000 cash or $450,000 cash and bond.
The victim meanwhile was transported the to Mount Sinai Morningside where he was listed in stable condition and was able to assist police in identifying his attacker.
Zinberg was seen spitting at reporters after he was being led from the 20th Pct. on Nov. 21 following his arrest. “That’s all for you,” the New York Post reported he shouted at reporters. “Teach you to f*** with the Jewish Joshua!”
The city was already reeling because it was the second knife attack in Manhattan in a matter of days. In a horrific attack on November 18, a homeless individual stabbed two men and a woman in separate unprovoked attacks in the Chelsea, Tudor City and Kips Bay neighborhoods. Ramon Ramirez, 51, was arrested for those attacks as he tried to flee First Ave. just south of the UN Building.