A 28-year-old woman was critically injured Friday night after being attacked and stabbed multiple times in the neck while jogging along a waterfront path in Brooklyn, New York City police said.
The stabbing occurred shortly after 8 p.m. on the Shore Parkway Greenway near Shore Parkway and Bay 17th Street in the Bath Beach neighborhood, according to the New York Police Department. The path runs along Gravesend Bay, offering views across the water toward Staten Island and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
Emergency responders rushed the victim to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn in critical condition, authorities said. Law enforcement sources told the New York Post and CBS News that the woman’s father discovered her on the trail after setting out to look for her when they had planned to meet.
Discrepancy over victim’s medical status
The New York Post identified the victim as Katie Suarez, a local bank teller. Citing police sources, the Post reported that Suarez had been declared brain dead on Saturday. However, an NYPD spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital on Saturday that the victim remained alive in critical condition. Police officials had not publicly released her name.
The Post also reported, citing police sources, that the jogger had been preparing for Sunday’s New York City Marathon. New York Road Runners, the group that operates the annual event, issued a statement expressing sympathy.
“We were sad to hear of this horrible attack—our hearts are with her family and the running community,” the organization said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
The organization noted that race records showed the woman had taken part in previous NYRR events, though officials could not confirm if she was entered in Sunday’s marathon.
Search underway on dark path
Authorities have not established a motive, and it was not known whether the runner knew her assailant. Gothamist reported that the assault took place along an isolated stretch of the trail with no security cameras. In response, the NYPD mobilized specialized teams, including aviation helicopters, police dogs, harbor scuba divers, and additional detectives to comb the waterfront area for evidence.
Neighbors in the community expressed shock over the violence. Speaking to the New York Post, local residents described the victim as a gentle, hardworking, and family-oriented neighbor who frequently walked through the area with her partner.
As of late Saturday, no arrests had been made, and detectives had not issued a physical description of any suspect. Investigators are urging anyone with information about the stabbing to contact the NYPD Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS or submit confidential tips through the department’s website.
