Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Times Square Tour Bus Ticket Seller Claims Rival Stabbed Him Over Territory Dispute
By
Ben Yakas
Published Aug 24, 2014
Modified Aug 24, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Aug 24, 2014
Modified Aug 24, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Times Square brings out the worst in people, whether you're a costume crimefighter, a McDonald's patron, Weed Man, the Statue of Liberty, or Shia LaBeouf. The bleakness of Times Square has even wormed its way into the hearts of tour bus ticket sellers: one such ticket hawker is suing a fellow rival for allegedly stabbing him in a dispute over territory, because despite appearances and statistics, apparently there are never enough tourists to go around.
The Post reports that 54-year-old CitySights NY bus tour worker Al Mamann was selling tickets on the corner of Eighth Avenue and 42nd Street in August 2013 when rival Skyline Sightseeing seller Romeo Marishaw, 27, confronted him, saying he was on his turf. The two men got into a very heated argument: "He came behind me and stabbed me from behind," Mamann claims. "I grabbed my face, and there was blood all over my body, and when he saw the blood, he tried to run away."
Mamann, who is suing Marishaw and Skyline for $5 million, says his rival used a pen to puncture his cheek; the pen got into his mouth and knocked out two teeth, leaving a wound that required 14 stitches. Marishaw had been arrested and charged with assault in the incident; he was also arrested for allegedly punching and breaking the jaw of another rival worker a month before that. Both cases are pending, and Marishaw is still working for the company.
"That’s definitely not what happened," Marishaw told the Post in his defense. He claims Mamann purposefully encroached upon his selling area, and intentionally bumped into him twice. "After the second time, I punched him. I assaulted a man. I’m not disputing the incident, not at all, but there was no stabbing going on," Marishaw said. "This bus company stuff is very territorial. One of their tactics is to send someone in front of our bus stop. They sent him to cause a little ruckus. They try to get you frustrated. I was completely provoked."
No word on whether Predator or Alien will be called upon to act as character witnesses.
Screen shot (via Daily News)
Tagged
Al Mamann
lawsuit
Romeo Marishaw
stabbing
Times Square
tour bus
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 4:22 p.m. ET
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .