Bronx Man Accused of Slashing Teen, 20-Year-Old Who Tried to Stop Ex-Girlfriend Attack

A 28-year-old Bronx man is facing multiple felony charges after prosecutors say he punched, kicked and threw his ex-girlfriend to the ground on Webster Avenue in Fordham, then slashed two strangers who tried to intervene, including a 16-year-old boy who was stabbed in the head. Jon Arce was arrested at the scene of the June 23 attack near East 187th Street and Webster Avenue, where responding NYPD officers recovered the weapon used in the slashing.

According to prosecutors, Arce approached his ex-girlfriend on Webster Avenue that day and attacked her multiple times, punching her, kicking her in the head, and throwing her to the sidewalk, as detailed by News 12. When two Good Samaritans tried to step in, prosecutors say Arce turned on them, slashing both with a sharp object. News 12 further reported that the two bystanders were a 16-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man, and that the teen was stabbed in the head while the 20-year-old was slashed on his right side. Both were stabilized at the hospital following the attack, per that same report.

Investigators later determined the weapon used in the attack was a scalpel, recovered by responding officers at the scene, the outlet's reporting indicates. Arce was indicted on charges that include assault and aggravated harassment stemming from the confrontation.

A Defendant With Prior Bronx Convictions

Court records show Arce is not a stranger to the Bronx criminal justice system. He previously appealed felony convictions under Indictment Nos. 610/19 and 539/20 in Bronx County Supreme Court, and those convictions were unanimously affirmed on appeal in January 2023 by the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division, First Department, according to Justia court records.

Separately, prosecutors say Arce and his ex-girlfriend had a verbal dispute that turned physical, with the ex-girlfriend sent to the hospital following an earlier incident in April. Arce is expected back in court on October 28, 2026, to face the felony charges tied to the Webster Avenue attack.

What The Charges Could Mean Under State Law

The charges Arce faces carry steep potential penalties under New York law. Assault in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony under Penal Law § 120.10, is punishable by five to 25 years in state prison when a defendant intentionally causes serious physical injury with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument, per Justia's legal reference materials. Assault in the Second Degree, a Class D violent felony under Penal Law § 120.05, carries up to seven years in prison for intentionally causing physical injury with a dangerous instrument.

Case Reflects Broader Bronx and Citywide Patterns

The attack unfolds against a backdrop of persistent domestic violence and rising felony assault numbers across the city. The Bronx consistently records the highest volume of domestic violence complaints and domestic-related homicides among the five boroughs, logging more than 9,500 domestic violence incidents in a single year according to data cited by the Bronx District Attorney's Office and reported by the Bronx Times. Citywide felony assault complaints rose for six consecutive years through 2025 and remained elevated through mid-2026, standing out as one of the few violent crime categories that did not decline alongside homicides and shootings, according to the Manhattan Institute.

City officials have responded by expanding resources aimed specifically at domestic violence cases. In October 2025, Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch launched a dedicated NYPD Domestic Violence Unit staffed by 450 specialized investigators across all city precincts, noting that domestic violence accounts for approximately 40% of all felony assaults citywide, according to the NYC Mayor's Office.

Bronx County has also built specialized court infrastructure for these cases. The borough operates an Integrated Domestic Violence Court, the first of its kind established in New York State, which allows a single judge to simultaneously hear criminal, family and matrimonial cases involving the same family unit, per the Bronx District Attorney's Office. NYPD precincts in the Bronx also maintain dedicated Domestic Violence Squads that connect victims with safety planning, orders of protection through Family Court, and assistance from NYC Family Justice Centers, according to the city.