A teenager was rushed to the hospital after he was slashed in the neck during a frightening early morning attack just steps from some of New York City’s most famous tourist attractions.
Police said the 18-year-old victim was knifed around 1:55 a.m. Thursday in front of a 48-story office tower on the Avenue of the Americas near West 51st Street, only a short walk from Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall.
The teen was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition, according to authorities.
The suspect, described only as a male, fled the scene after the attack. He had not been caught several hours later, police said.
The motive behind the pre-dawn slashing was not immediately known.
The attack happened in the NYPD’s Midtown North precinct, a busy area that includes some of Manhattan’s most recognizable landmarks, office towers and tourist-heavy streets.
According to the latest NYPD data cited in the report, felony assaults in the precinct have ticked up slightly compared to the same time last year. Police reported 1,084 felony assaults so far this year, compared to 1,074 during the same period in 2025.
Overall felony crime in the precinct, however, is down by more than 7 percent this year. Police reported 4,491 felony crimes compared to 4,836 at the same point in 2025.
The slashing adds another disturbing incident to Midtown, where late-night crowds, tourists and workers often move through the area around Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall and the Avenue of the Americas.
Police have not released the victim’s name or any further description of the suspect. The investigation remains ongoing.
