Witness accounts described residents trying to assist an injured man as police investigated what happened inside a West 47th Street building.
NEW YORK — Neighbors and bystanders rushed to help an injured man outside a Hell’s Kitchen apartment building Wednesday after a double stabbing that ultimately left him dead and a 35-year-old woman hospitalized, according to police and witness accounts.
The violence unfolded around 2:45 p.m. at 440 West 47th St. The male victim, later identified as 26-year-old John Carlos Mesa, was stabbed in the torso, while the woman suffered stab wounds to her back and neck. Both were taken to Mount Sinai West. Mesa was later pronounced dead, and the woman was reported in stable condition.
Accounts from people near the building offered a partial picture of the minutes immediately after the attack but did not establish what caused it. Witness Steve Hines told ABC7 New York that he saw a badly injured man on the stoop. People nearby began trying to help while emergency assistance was called.
Jorge Bender was among those who came to the man’s aid. He told ABC7 that he put pressure on the wound and contacted police, describing the victim as pale and distressed. Others brought towels and remained nearby as they waited for emergency crews.
The witnesses’ actions unfolded while the circumstances inside the building remained uncertain. An unidentified neighbor told ABC7 that an argument could be heard from an apartment shortly before a woman screamed. The neighbor later encountered the injured woman near the building’s entrance while police were at the scene.
The neighbor said three people — two men and a woman — lived in the apartment where he believed the confrontation began. Police had not confirmed that account or said where each person was when the stabbing occurred. Authorities also had not clarified the relationship between Mesa and the injured woman.
Early Wednesday reports said investigators were searching for someone who had left the scene in an unknown direction. By early Thursday, ABC7 reported that a person of interest had been taken into custody. Authorities had not publicly identified that person or explained the person’s possible connection to the attack.
The case remained under investigation, with several central questions unresolved. Police had not announced a motive, determined publicly whether the incident involved a domestic dispute or described the sequence that resulted in both victims being wounded.
The woman remained in stable condition in the latest report. Investigators were continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding Mesa’s death and the woman’s injuries as they worked to determine whether the detained person of interest would face charges.
Author note: Last updated September 10, 2026.