A Saratoga Springs woman giving a co-worker a ride home Friday night ended up fighting for her life after police say he pulled a knife and slashed her throat while she was driving. She escaped by jumping from the moving vehicle, which went on to crash into a Lake Avenue restaurant, and she was airlifted to a regional trauma center.
Police identified the suspect as 36-year-old David Cruz Torres of Michoacán, Mexico, who allegedly attacked his female co-worker with a knife during the ride home from their shared workplace in Saratoga Springs, according to The Saratogian. Dispatchers initially logged the incident as a vehicle striking Augie's To-Go, a family-style Italian takeout spot at the corner of Lake Avenue and Forest Avenue, before investigators pieced together the fuller picture. Augie's To-Go is at 223 Lake Avenue.
Fire officials told the paper the woman suffered a serious neck laceration and was first taken by ambulance to Saratoga Hospital before being airlifted to Albany Medical Center. Saratoga Hospital is a 171-bed community facility affiliated with the unified Albany Med Health System, according to the ASCRS-ASOA Career Center, which explains how she was transferred into the regional trauma network. Albany Medical Center operates northeastern New York's only Level 1 adult trauma center, per Albany Med Health System.
A Shift Ends, Then a Ride Turns Violent
Police said investigators determined Cruz Torres and the victim were co-workers in Saratoga Springs, and that he had asked her for a ride home after their shift ended Friday night. While she was driving him, police say he physically attacked her and slashed her throat with a knife, causing a severe, life-threatening injury, The Saratogian's report notes. The motive for the attack remains unclear, police said.
According to police, the victim escaped by jumping from the moving vehicle and calling for help, a decision investigators credited with helping save her life. The car continued on and struck Augie's To-Go at the Lake Avenue and Forest Avenue intersection. Nearby community members helped the victim and gave police critical information, according to the same account, while Cruz Torres allegedly attempted to flee the scene before officers detained him.
Charges Carry Decades-Long Exposure
Cruz Torres was arrested and charged with attempted murder in the second degree, a class B felony under Penal Law 125.25(1), along with criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, a class A misdemeanor under Penal Law 265.01(2). Attempted murder in the second degree is classified as a Class B violent felony carrying a mandatory determinate prison sentence of 5 to 25 years upon conviction, according to LegalMatch. The weapon possession charge, by contrast, carries a possible jail term of up to one year, per New York Lawyers.
Police said their investigation involved witness and medical staff interviews, evidence collection, conversations with family members, search warrants, and an interview with Cruz Torres himself. The Cohoes Police Department provided additional assistance, police said.
Department Credits Bystanders and Medical Teams
The Saratoga Springs Police Department credited community members and its own fire department with aiding the victim's escape, and thanked medical professionals at both Saratoga Hospital and Albany Medical Center for what it called lifesaving care. Police said the victim's bravery and quick decisions helped save her life.
The case lands in a city where this kind of violence is rare. Saratoga Springs recorded a violent crime rate of 185.7 per 100,000 residents in 2024, according to OpenCrime, a figure well below state and national averages. The city's police department fielded 26,667 calls for service that year with a force of 77 sworn personnel, including 46 patrol officers and 11 investigators, according to a March 2025 public safety report covered by Saratoga TODAY.
