Eagle-eyed NYC photographer captures shocking moment knife-wielding man creeps up behind group in Times Square
An unhinged man clutching a large knife stalked a group of oblivious musicians in Times Square Wednesday morning — then grabbed one of them from behind in a chilling moment caught by an eagle-eyed photographer.
The blade-wielding maniac was standing on a granite bench, flashing the weapon at tourists and inexplicably screaming on Broadway between West 43rd and 44th streets at around 10 a.m., said photographer Richard Moore.
“I thought, ‘Oh, this isn’t very good,’” Moore, of Hell’s Kitchen, told The Post.
As Moore got closer, he saw the erratic man jump off the bench and begin trailing the performers, who appear to be Romanian, he said.
“I noticed he had this knife in one hand and he got close enough to one of the musicians to put his other hand on the musician’s shoulder,” said Moore, who snapped a photo of the tense encounter.
The frightening moment came on the heels of a new Siena College poll that found a whopping 41% of New Yorkers have “never” been so fearful for their own safety — with the majority saying crime is a “very” or “somewhat” serious problem.
Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday downplayed the poll results, blaming the media for reporting on crime, which he claimed “Plays on your psyche.”
Chilling footage captured by Moore showed the unidentified man dressed in red and gripping a six-inch blade as he ominously grabs the performer’s shoulder from behind.
The shutterbug first thought the worst, saying to himself, “This isn’t gonna be good.”
But the knife-wielding man then suddenly backed off and returned to his perch on the bench.
Moore said he called 911 after witnessing the creepy encounter at the Crossroads of the World — saying he feared the next one could end in disaster — and waited for about 12 minutes until cops arrived.
“Police got him from behind … I don’t know if they grabbed the knife or he dropped it,” he said.
“It was dealt with very peacefully and quickly,” Moore added. “They took him down safely for him and others.”
The knife-wielding man, identified by police as Deqon Massiah, 22, was arrested and charged with menacing, harassment and criminal possession of a weapon, the NYPD said.
The terrifying incident comes months after cops working the Times Square detail on New Year’s Eve were attacked by a machete-wielding Islamist extremist.
Radicalized Maine teenager Trevor Bickford allegedly jumped the officers just before 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2022 at West 52nd Street and Eighth Avenue.
Bickford, 19, is facing both federal and state charges over the attack.
He has pleaded not guilty.
Additional reporting by Natalie O’Neill
