A 24-year-old man was stabbed in the upper back and body during an argument near Riverside Drive and West 114th Street in Morningside Heights, and four men and four women scattered from the scene before police could catch them. The victim was taken to a hospital and is expected to recover, but no arrests have been made and all eight suspects remain at large.
The attack, first reported by WABC-TV, unfolded at a location that sits along the eastern edge of Riverside Park, right next to Columbia University's residential campus in Manhattan Community District 9, according to Manhattan Community Board 9. The stretch falls within the patrol territory of the NYPD's 26th Precinct, headquartered at 520 West 126th Street, a command that covers Morningside Heights, Manhattanville, and the immediate area around the university, per NYC.gov.
Investigators have not said what sparked the argument that preceded the stabbing, and the station's report does not name a motive. Police made no arrests in the immediate aftermath, and the case remains an open investigation as detectives work to identify the eight people who ran from the area.
What Could Happen If Suspects Are Caught
Because police describe a group of eight fleeing together after the attack, New York law could allow prosecutors to pursue gang assault charges if any suspects are identified and arrested. Under state Penal Law sections 120.06 and 120.07, an assault carried out by three or more people acting together can be charged as second- or first-degree gang assault, a Class C or Class B violent felony carrying prison sentences of up to 15 to 25 years, according to Saland Law. That statute applies regardless of whether the group has any formal gang affiliation.
Separately, because the victim was stabbed with a knife, an actual attacker could face second-degree assault charges under Penal Law 120.05, a Class D violent felony punishable by up to seven years in state prison, since a knife is explicitly classified as a deadly weapon under state law. None of these charges have been filed, since no suspects have yet been identified or apprehended.
A Neighborhood Watching Its Crime Numbers
Long-term NYPD data show major felony offenses in the 26th Precinct have dropped more than 76% since 1990, but felony assault has remained a persistent category for the command, with 142 cases logged in 2022 alongside 104 robberies and one murder, per figures cited by Wikipedia. Manhattan Community District 9 has also logged a non-fatal assault hospitalization rate of 57 per 100,000 residents, slightly above the borough's overall rate of 49 per 100,000, though still below the citywide average of 59 per 100,000 during the same period.
Just across Cathedral Parkway at West 110th Street, the adjacent 24th Precinct recorded multiple high-profile violent assaults involving weapons in late 2025, a pattern that has fueled broader safety discussions across Upper West Side neighborhoods, according to Straus News. This is not the first violent stabbing to draw attention to Morningside Heights in recent months; Hoodline previously reported a fatal stabbing on West 129th Street in November 2025 in which police also searched for a fleeing suspect.
Reporting Tips and Local Resources
Anyone with information can call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS, where tips leading to an arrest and indictment in violent felony cases can qualify for cash rewards of up to $3,500 funded by the nonprofit New York City Police Foundation. Tips can be submitted confidentially by phone, text, or online in English and Spanish around the clock.
Columbia University Public Safety also operates independent patrols around Morningside Heights residential streets and advises community members to route non-emergencies to the 26th Precinct at 212-678-1311 or to campus emergency dispatch at 212-854-5555, according to Columbia University. It remains unclear whether surveillance footage from nearby residential buildings or park entrances has been recovered, or whether NYPD or campus patrols have stepped up presence in the area following the attack. The investigation is ongoing, and no further details about the eight suspects have been released.
