The mother of a tourist who was stabbed in the chest by a knife-wielding maniac in Times Square in broad daylight on Saturday was attacked while chaperoning a group of female students on a school trip. Her family has no plans to visit Times Square again.
“We don’t feel safe there,” the victim’s husband, John Lohr, told the Post.
His wife, 36-year-old mother of five Amber Lohr of western Pennsylvania, was teaching students near Times Square when 61-year-old Cyril Destin, for no apparent reason, attacked her. He is said to have committed assault.
Destin, who has been arrested 14 times in the past 20 years, was sitting outside a deli on Eighth Avenue and 43rd Street when he suddenly stood up and stabbed Amber in the chest with a knife as she, her daughter and their children left. I stuck it out. souvenir shop.
“A man with a very long criminal record came out of nowhere and attacked my wife by stabbing her in the chest and almost killed her by inches,” the husband said.
Despite her severe injuries, blood staining the thick sweatshirt she was wearing, Amber remained calm and focused on protecting her students. And her husband considers her a “hero” for doing so.
“My wife should be considered a hero not only for being stabbed, but also for staying in front of the children and teaching them to move backwards and not look back,” John said.
It was only after making sure the students were safe that Amber told someone she had been stabbed, and bystanders ran for help.
“No matter who said ‘thank you,'” John said, he also thanked the “strong, fearless” girls his wife was with for staying calm, even though they were “scared to the point of losing their minds.” He added that he would like to thank them for their help.
Amber was treated on the sidewalk while her assailant was arrested before being taken to Bellevue for her stab wounds. He was still holding the knife when police arrived, according to surveillance video.
“This man could have killed my wife, or worse, he could have killed one of the children she was with,” the husband said.
“It makes me sick to think that I could have planned a funeral to celebrate my wife on Mother’s Day.”
Destin, who lives in a shelter across the street from the attack, was charged with second-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Officials say he has a rap sheet that goes back 20 years and includes arrests on charges such as menacing, trespassing and theft.
Officials said he also had erratic and destructive behavior and hallucinations.
The Lohrs wanted Destin to remain in isolation for an extended period of time, warning that if not, the next victim might not be as lucky as Amber.
“This guy will attack again, and maybe the next guy won’t be so lucky,” John said.
“I will accept nothing less than the maximum sentence for him,” he added. “This man not only needs to be jailed, he needs to be permanently institutionalized with the long sentence he deserves.”
