Brutal Incident in the Bronx Involving 12-Year-Old Girl

A 12-year-old girl was reportedly attacked by her stepfather during a violent episode in the Bronx earlier this week, with disturbing details emerging that she had an object lodged in her nose, according to reports.

The girl was taken to Cohen Children’s Medical Center in Queens for surgery following the incident, which occurred late Wednesday night at their home on East 173rd Street.

Sources indicated that she is in a fragile state. “She’s not right,” one person close to the situation mentioned.

Authorities allege that the 28-year-old stepfather, identified as Joshua Burnside, stabbed the girl in the head and then turned the knife on his 31-year-old wife, slashing her face and stabbing her in the stomach.

Neighbors recounted the terrifying moments that followed, describing the mother desperately banging on doors, calling for help, and even asking for a knife at one point.

“She was bleeding from the head and showed us her wounds. There were stab wounds on her stomach, too,” said one neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous. “She asked for a knife, and I thought, ‘No, that’s not a good idea.’ We wanted to help but didn’t want to get involved too much.”

Another neighbor added, “We were among the first to rush out; eventually, others joined as well. Someone told her to get away from him.”

Burnside was arrested on charges including assault and endangerment of a child. Authorities are expected to upgrade these charges to attempted murder.

Witnesses noted that the mother was “covered in blood” after the attack.

“She said, ‘Oh, I just got attacked. My husband of eight years attacked me,’” a neighbor remembered hearing her say.

One concerned neighbor called 911 out of fear for the child’s safety. “She ended up running back upstairs before the police arrived,” the neighbor recalled. “It was frightening and sad to see the aftermath.”

Another neighbor mentioned hearing the screams but hesitated to step outside, fearing the situation could escalate.

The girl’s former guardian, who had known the mother for years, expressed disbelief at the incident. “He shouldn’t have done that,” he insisted, under the condition of anonymity. “The girl called him daddy. He’s a monster. This type of action shows a severe issue.”

Authorities remain puzzled about what triggered Burnside’s outburst.

As for the children present during the attack—a 5-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl—they are Burnside’s biological kids and fortunately were unharmed. Burnside himself sustained an injury to his wrist and was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital in stable condition, but details surrounding how he got hurt are unclear.

Police did recover the weapon used in the assault at the scene.