NEW YORK CITY — A group of teenagers and men attacked a teen boy on the Lower East Side Monday night, stabbing him and leaving him bleeding in the street, officials and witnesses said.
The 17-year-old, whose identity was not released, was knifed in his left side about 11 p.m. near East Broadway and Rutgers Street, an FDNY spokesman and police sources said.
The victim was rushed to Bellevue Hospital in a serious but stable condition, the FDNY spokesman added.
A 15-year-old boy was arrested moments after the attack and was charged with assault as a juvenile, police sources said.
Witnesses said they saw a group of about 30 teenagers and young men attack the victim and one or two other teens just before the stabbing.
"I have never seen anything like it out here," said Stefan Wiklund, 40, who lives in a building overlooking the scene of the fight.
From his apartment window, Wiklund said he saw the group throwing punches at the victim and one or two others.
"He tried to defend himself with a broomstick or something. He held them off for a while, but then they just charged at him," Wiklund said of the teenager who was stabbed.
So many people were attacking the victim that Wiklund did not see the stabbing take place, but he said he saw the aftermath, with the victim on a stretcher.
When about half a dozen cop cars showed up, Wiklund said much of the group ran south down Rutgers Street towards Madison Street.
The 40-year-old super in Wiklund's building, who gave his name only as Vinny, said he saw police officers applying pressure to the stab wound before an ambulance arrived.
The super said the victim was conscious and talking and appeared to be in a lot of pain.
A police source said the victim and suspect were from New York City but did not live near the scene of the stabbing.
