Woman Arrested After Tourist Was Stabbed Inside Macy’s Herald Square in N.Y.C.

A woman has been arrested in connection with a stabbing that occurred at the Macy’s Herald Square location in New York City.

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) confirmed to PEOPLE that it has arrested 43-year-old Kerri Aherne, of Massachusetts, following an incident that occurred on Thursday, Dec. 11. 

Police said they responded to a 911 call of an “assault in progress” at the Macy’s Herald Square location at around 3:15 p.m. local time. When officers arrived on the scene, they found a 39-year-old woman, who was not identified by police, but described as a tourist by WABC and Fox5 NY, wounded.

She had sustained “multiple stab wounds to her back and a laceration to her left arm.” Emergency medical services also responded to the scene, and the injured woman was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital in “stable condition.” 

Aherne has been charged with attempted murder, two counts of assault, criminal posession of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child, NYPD said.

Police told WABC and Fox5 NY that the attack appeared to be unprovoked.

Macy’s told PEOPLE in a statement: “We are deeply saddened about the incident that took place today, as the safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority. We kindly defer any further questions to the local authorities.”

Shopper Oscar DeCastro told CBS News that he had been inside the 10-floor store shopping with his family when he heard about what happened from a security guard.

“It’s very scary, for sure,” DeCastro told the outlet. “It stinks, but we keep our heads high. We try to pay attention.”

Another shopper, Salvadore Tabares, added to the outlet that despite the incident, he still felt the store was a “pretty safe environment.” He added, “I wouldn’t imagine something like that could happen.”

Store customer Franklin Doman told CBS News, “We all come in here with families. We don’t know what happens, so, of course, we want more security.”

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This was the second assault incident that happened in Macy’s Herald Square in the past month, according to CBS News. Last month, a 71-year-old man was reportedly hit four times on the head unprovoked by an object — believed to be a cell phone — being brandished by a woman on the ninth floor of the store, the outlet reported, citing police. 

The man was treated at a local hospital for deep internal bruising, and the woman involved in the incident, 65-year-old Donna Francis, was arrested and charged with assault, per the outlet.