Police were investigating what led to the West 47th Street attack that also left a 35-year-old woman injured.
NEW YORK — A 26-year-old man died and a 35-year-old woman was hospitalized after they were stabbed Wednesday afternoon inside a residential building in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, authorities said. A person of interest was later taken into police custody.
The attack was reported around 2:45 p.m. at 440 West 47th St. The man, identified by ABC7 New York as John Carlos Mesa, suffered a stab wound to his torso. The woman was stabbed in the back and neck. Both were taken to Mount Sinai West, where Mesa was later pronounced dead and the woman was listed in stable condition.
The latest development marked a significant change from initial reports Wednesday afternoon, when police were still searching for someone who had fled the area and the full extent of the victims’ injuries was not yet clear. Authorities had not explained by early Thursday what connection, if any, the person of interest had to either victim.
Police also had not publicly established a motive or described the circumstances that led to the violence. The relationship between Mesa and the injured woman remained unclear, and investigators had not said whether the episode was connected to a domestic dispute or another type of confrontation.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene outside the West 47th Street building after the stabbing. One witness, Steve Hines, told ABC7 that he saw an injured man on the stoop. Several people gathered around the victim and tried to help him while emergency responders were being summoned.
Jorge Bender, another witness interviewed by ABC7, said he applied pressure to the man’s wound and called police. His account described neighbors and bystanders working to assist the injured man before an ambulance arrived. The victim appeared pale and distressed, Bender said.
A neighbor who was not identified told the station that an argument could be heard inside an apartment shortly before a woman screamed. The neighbor later encountered the injured woman near the building’s entrance as officers responded. Police had not independently detailed the sequence inside the apartment or said who was present when the violence began.
Early accounts of the incident differed on some details, including the man’s age and the victims’ conditions immediately after they were taken to the hospital. ABC7’s later report identified Mesa as 26 and said he died at Mount Sinai West. The woman remained in stable condition.
The investigation remained active Thursday. Authorities had not released the name of the person of interest or announced what, if any, charges would follow. Police were continuing to determine what happened inside the West 47th Street building and the relationship among those involved.
Author note: Last updated September 10, 2026.