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UPDATE: Grisly Fatal Stabbing Near Union Square Leaves Victim's Ear On Sidewalk
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Oct 7, 2012
Modified Oct 8, 2012
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Oct 7, 2012
Modified Oct 8, 2012
Share
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A 25-year-old man was found with fatal stab wounds near Union Square early this morning.
Authorities responded to a 911 call of a man being assaulted in front of 25 West 14th Street at around 4:25 a.m. and found the victim in front of the address with stab wounds in his torso and neck.
The victim was removed to Bellevue Hospital where he was pronounced dead, and his identification is being withheld pending family notification. An NYPD spokesman said no arrests have been made in the case.
[UPDATE]Some witnesses told CBS that the man's neck and stomach appeared to be slashed, and that people exiting bars believed the man was a prank. “They all walked past it and thought it was a Halloween figure or something," one witness said. “We thought it was a Halloween joke or something because his phone was there, so maybe if we tried to get his phone that he’ll pop up or something."
[UPDATE 2]The Post now has more information on the victim, noting that he is from Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, and that his severed ear was found on the sidewalk near his body. “It was a frenzy. The guy was chopped multiple times,” a police source told the paper. “He cut the guy’s ear off. It doesn’t get any more personal than that.”
Police apparently covered the man's ear with a plastic cup to prevent passersby from seeing it.
[UPDATE 3] Police have released the name of the victim, Michael Jones, and incorrectly stated that he lived in New Jersey—Jones was from Westchester.
Tagged
HOMICIDE
murder
stabbing
union square
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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