Two employees stabbed at NYC’s Museum of Modern Art, police say

A man stabbed two employees at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City on Saturday, officials said. Police are still searching for the suspect, who was identified as a former member of the museum. 

“This incident is still unfolding,” Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller of the New York City Police Department said at a press conference Saturday evening. “We’re at a very early stage in the investigation.”

At around 4:15 p.m. local time, the man attempted to gain entrance to the museum by presenting his membership card, but was denied because his membership had expired due to two prior incidents involving disorderly conduct at the museum in recent days, Miller said. 

The man then became upset and jumped over the museum’s reception desk before stabbing two employees multiple times in the back, collar bone and the back of the neck. 

The employees were transported to a local hospital within minutes of the attack, Miller said. They are both expected to be okay.

“This was a rapidly unfolding, spontaneous incident,” Miller said. 

The man involved in the incident is known to the NYPD. He was recorded on video leaving the museum following the stabbings, and authorities are still looking for him, according to Miller. He is described as a White male wearing a black jacket, a colorful shirt and a blue surgical mask.

Videos published to social media by museum visitors showed crowds of people evacuating the museum. 

Mayor Eric Adams tweeted that he had been briefed on the situation, and thanked first responders for their “quick work.”

“Please continue to avoid the area while Police continue their investigation and if you have any information, please contact the NYPD immediately,” he wrote. “Public safety is our top priority. Today’s incident is a reminder that this work affects every community.”