Mayor Eric Adams insisted Saturday that the “crossroads of the world” remains safe despite a recent spate of crimes, including the recent stabbing of a 17-year-old boy, due to the immigration crisis.
“We had 62 million tourists last year. We’ll continue to see a surge this year. The NYPD will always be present,” he said when asked about the Times Square crime wave during an unrelated event in lower Manhattan. Adams boasted.
“I was walking there [in Times Square] The other day. You can feel the presence there. safety. “
“We’re going to continue to be the safest big city in America, and we’re going to continue to set the right direction,” he added. “And the violent people who have no place in the city, whether they’re old New Yorkers or newcomers. Violence is not tolerated in this city.”
Adams’ remarks came two days after a 17-year-old immigrant was stabbed during a brawl on West 42nd Street near 7th Avenue in Times Square Thursday night.
Police and officials said the teenage victim, believed to be an immigrant from Nicaragua, was visiting Times Square for the first time with friends on Thursday night when a group of masked assailants attacked him with a knife at the tourist attraction. He said he was stabbed.
He was taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.
As of Friday, police had arrested five of the attackers, including a migrant teenager, and were searching for 16 more suspects.
The latest round of violence occurred on the same block where a group of immigrants brutally attacked police officers last month, horrifying New Yorkers and tourists alike.
Two hours after the boy was stabbed Thursday, another fight broke out a block away in front of the Hard Rock Cafe at 43rd and Broadway when two groups started arguing, police said.
28 year old male Although reportedly believed to be a New Yorker, He suffered minor injuries from being punched and kicked by three suspects, but all were arrested at the scene.
More than 178,000 immigrants have entered the Big Apple since spring 2022, and at least 65,000 are currently in the city’s custody.
