A man was slashed in the leg outside a Washington Heights building before dawn on September 20, and more than five weeks later, the person who did it is still out there. Police say the 36-year-old victim was standing in front of 1091 Saint Nicholas Avenue around 12:30 a.m. when an unidentified attacker cut him once in the right leg with a knife, then took off on foot into the night.
The attack was first detailed by shorenewsnetwork.com, which reported that emergency responders rushed the wounded man to NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition. As of Tuesday, the outlet noted, the NYPD had not announced an arrest in connection with the case, leaving the investigation open more than a month after the slashing.
On Tuesday, NYPD Crime Stoppers put out a fresh public appeal for help identifying the attacker, posting a wanted notice on Facebook that repeated the time, date and location of the attack and asked anyone with information to come forward. Anyone with a tip can direct message @NYPDTips or call 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), according to the department's post.
WANTED FOR AN ASSAULT: On Sunday, September 20, 2026, at approximately 12:30 AM, a 36-year-old male victim was in front of 1091 Saint Nicholas Avenue when an unidentified individual slashed him once in the right leg with a knife.
A Case Still Under Investigation
The circumstances of the attack remain sparse. Police have released a description of the suspect. What is clear is that the attacker vanished on foot immediately afterward, leaving investigators to lean on the public for leads more than a month into the case.
The renewed appeal comes as felony assaults have been ticking upward citywide. New York City logged 14,802 felony-assault complaints in the first half of 2026, a 0.4 percent increase over the same period a year earlier, according to Vital City. That works out to roughly 82 felony assaults somewhere in the city every single day during that stretch.
Felony Assault Bucks a Broader Citywide Decline
Felony assault and rape were the only two major crime categories to rise in the first half of 2026, even as most other crime fell across the five boroughs, Vital City's analysis found. Manhattan itself saw major crime drop 6.2 percent over that period, part of a broader citywide decline that makes the persistent rise in felony assaults stand out. Vital City also noted that felony assaults remain 48 percent above prepandemic levels, underscoring how stubborn this particular category of violence has proven even as other crime trends improve.
For now, the Saint Nicholas Avenue case remains unsolved, with investigators still working to identify the person seen fleeing the scene on foot. Anyone with information is urged to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers through the tip line or direct message listed in the department's appeal.
