Four Attackers Slash Man's Neck in Williamsburg, Police Hunt for Suspects

A man was slashed in the neck by four people just before 6 a.m. Sunday in Williamsburg, leaving him hospitalized as police continue searching for his attackers. The victim was taken to the hospital and is listed in stable condition, according to police.

The attack, first reported by News 12 Brooklyn, has police urging anyone with information about the whereabouts of the four suspects to come forward. Investigators have not released additional details about what led to the confrontation or the exact location within the neighborhood where it unfolded, and it remains unclear whether the attack stemmed from a robbery or an unprovoked encounter.

Williamsburg falls under the jurisdiction of the NYPD's 90th Precinct, headquartered at 211 Union Avenue and commanded by Captain Vincent Seminerio, according to the NYPD. The precinct covers the northwestern portion of Brooklyn and has been logging a rise in violent felony assaults even as overall major crime trends downward.

A Pattern of Group and Weapon Violence This Summer

This is not the first time this summer that multiple attackers have targeted a single victim on Williamsburg streets. Just two weeks before Sunday's slashing, Hoodline reported that two suspects stabbed and robbed a Williamsburg man, and in early June, an early-morning stabbing near South 2nd and Hooper streets left a 36-year-old man with a stab wound to his chin before he was taken to Woodhull Medical Center and survived. In July, a bag-snatching robbery on Graham Avenue escalated into gunfire when bystanders intervened, prompting NYPD Crime Stoppers to offer rewards for tips on the suspects who fled.

Because four people are accused of acting together in Sunday's attack, prosecutors could potentially pursue New York's Gang Assault statutes under Penal Law § 120.06 or § 120.07, which elevate assault charges when three or more individuals act in concert regardless of any formal gang affiliation, according to legal guidance published by the New York State Senate. Second-degree gang assault is a Class C felony carrying up to 15 years in prison, while first-degree gang assault is a Class B felony carrying up to 25 years. Separately, intentionally causing serious physical injury with a knife or sharp instrument can constitute Assault in the First Degree under Penal Law § 120.10, a Class B violent felony punishable by 5 to 25 years in state prison, per the Criminal Defense Lawyer resource on New York assault law.

Felony Assaults Climbing in the Precinct

NYPD CompStat data through August 2 shows the 90th Precinct logged 180 felony assaults so far this year, a 7.1 percent increase from 168 during the same stretch of 2025. That rise comes even though total major felony complaints in the precinct were down 2.84 percent over the same year-to-date period, according to the NYPD's own crime statistics. Historically, Census and city health department data cited by Wikipedia placed the Greenpoint and Williamsburg non-fatal assault rate at 34 per 100,000 residents, below Brooklyn's boroughwide average, with major crime in the precinct having fallen more than 70 percent between 1990 and 2018 as the neighborhood gentrified.

Local civilian patrol groups such as Williamsburg Shomrim have long coordinated with the 90th Precinct to monitor neighborhood safety and flag incidents to officers, according to City Limits. Precinct commanders regularly liaise with these volunteer patrols as part of broader efforts to address community crime concerns.

How to Help Police Identify the Suspects

Anyone with information about the four suspects' whereabouts is urged to contact police. The NYPD and the New York City Police Foundation offer anonymous cash rewards of up to $3,500 for tips submitted to 1-800-577-TIPS that lead to an arrest and indictment in violent felony cases. Spanish-speaking residents can also submit anonymous tips through the dedicated hotline 1-888-57-PISTA (74782), a resource of particular relevance given Williamsburg's significant Spanish-speaking population, especially in the southern part of the neighborhood.