A young man estimated to be around 25 appears to have been the victim of a “machete” assault in the Norwood section of The Bronx on Saturday night, July 18.

 

Following receipt of an alert on the Citizen’s App at around 9 p.m. on Saturday of an unconfirmed report of a robbery involving two people holding down another man at knifepoint at East Gun Hill Road and Putnam Place, Norwood News went to the scene and as we were approaching the corner, we spoke to a local flower vendor on Putnam Place and asked him if he had seen anyone injured or any police in the area.

Speaking in Spanish, the vendor said he had not seen anyone injured but that police had already arrived earlier and had asked him the same questions.

 

Norwood News then turned the corner onto East Gun Hill Road and there, saw a Hispanic man who was short in height in a blood-soaked white t-shirt, distressed and tearful.

He had what looked like a deepish gash to both his head and his shin but was alert and standing. There did not appear to be blood flowing from his head at that point but his T-shirt was bloodstained down the front.

 

Speaking in Spanish, and appearing possibly somewhat intoxicated, the victim said he had been struck with “a machete.” Another man who appeared to be a local employee was also present at the scene and there were some other bystanders also.

 

When we collectively told the victim he needed to have his wounds treated and recommended that he sit down in case he fell over while we called for an ambulance, he refused, appeared agitated, seemed to consider leaving the location, and pleaded with us not to phone 911.

Another employee at the corner store then appeared and explained that some type of altercation had seemingly happened further up the street at the corner of Tyron Avenue and the opposite side of East Gun Hill Road, and that he had gone there to ask what had happened. However, it seems he was unable to get a clear picture of the incident.

 

The second store employee convinced the victim that he had to get to a hospital. While Norwood News called 911, the same employee went inside his store to get two T-shirts (products of the store) one of which we applied to the victim’s headwound. As the victim changed into the second clean t-shirt, which he had asked to do, it appeared that he didn’t have any chest wounds.

While waiting for the ambulance to arrive, a frowning man appeared at the location and before he walked into the store, he warned Norwood News and the first store employee not to get involved. He then entered the store to talk to the second employee.

 

Sometime after the frowning man left, the victim was given his original T-shirt (which may have evidence on it) and was later seen holding it as he made his way towards the ambulance when it arrived.

Blood had started to slowly trickle down the victim’s forehead at one point before the ambulance arrived. However, the victim continued to stand and was able to walk towards, and into, the ambulance unassisted when it arrived. Speaking in Spanish, the victim mentioned at one point, “I have nowhere to sleep.” He appeared to have sores on his limbs.

 

Norwood News later went to the corner of Tryon Avenue and East Gun Hill Road to ask if anyone had seen what happened but nobody had.

 

We later asked the NYPD if they had any report of the incident and the central press office did not at that point but explained that the victim may not have filed a complaint. The press office spokesperson added that a hospital/EMS might do so on his behalf.

Norwood News later contacted the FDNY / EMS press office for an update on the status of the man’s condition as the ambulance was no longer at the scene. We did not receive an immediate response. It’s possible it was an extra busy night due to the flooding. We will share any further details we receive as they become available.

 

Later on Saturday night, two men were seen standing at the corner where the ambulance had arrived earlier and appeared to be looking around or examining the area. The corner store had closed at that point. When they saw Norwood News approaching the corner, they left.

 

The remains of police crime scene tape was seen attached to a vending cart but it’s unclear if it related to the stabbing incident or an separate incident.

On Tuesday, July 14, at East 205th Street and Grand Concourse in the Bedford Park section, at around 7 p.m., a male teenager estimated to be around 14 was seen seated upright on the street, also bleeding from the head, with blood stains on his tank top, and blood streaming down his face and neck. Blood drops were also seen on the street and one of the victim’s eyes was also heavily bloodshot.

 

An e-bike was seen on its side nearby along with another e-bike which was seen upright beside it. A group of people had surrounded the young teen who appeared to be in shock. Despite this, he also appeared to be phoning his family / siblings for help.

A group of people had gathered around the youngster, including a woman who explained in Spanish that she was a nurse and she was trying to convince the victim that he had to go to hospital, and not to get up. She kept repeating that there was blood in his eye.

 

However, the young boy appeared scared to do so and shortly afterwards, some other young people, estimated to be in their teens, arrived and they started to help the victim get up, despite the protestations of all around him. They then walked him down Grand Concourse in the direction of Van Cortlandt Avenue. The victim had said repeatedly he did not want an ambulance.

 

The victim was also told that after a head collision, even though a person might appear to be ok in the immediate aftermath, there was a possibility and danger they could get worse and collapse later. The information did not change the teen’s mind.

 

According to various media reports at the time, British actress Natasha Richardson, wife of Irish actor Liam Neeson, collided with a tree in 2009 while on a Canadian ski slope. According to People magazine and ABC News reports, after taking a tumble in the snow and hitting her head, she was evaluated by ski patrol but showed no immediate visible injuries or signs of distress. She declined further medical help at that time, signed a release waiver, and walked back to her hotel room with her instructor.

 

According to TMZ, People, Reddit.com, and ABC News, hours later, Richardson developed a severe headache and began experiencing confusion. The progression is often associated with a “lucid interval,” where a patient appears fine immediately following a head injury before symptoms of internal bleeding manifest according to Neurology Today.

 

The news outlets reported that she was rushed to a local hospital in Ste-Agathe and subsequently transferred to a trauma center in Montreal. Upon her husband’s arrival, medical professionals informed him that her injury had resulted in brain death.

The young teen at the scene of the accident on the Grand Concourse did not appear to have been wearing a helmet. One bystander at the scene later said, “I just heard a collision.” He added that he believed someone had cut in front of the young teen seemingly while he was riding an e-bike. However, the man suddenly declined to say anything further.

 

The majority of people had urged the teen to wait and get seen by a doctor but he refused. Nobody in the group who arrived appeared to be an adult. Two other young people picked up the e-bikes and drove off.

Norwood News checked with local businesses on the Grand Concourse if any of their cameras faced the incident location but they did not. We asked if anyone had seen the collision but they had not.

 

It’s suspected but unclear if, in both cases, on July 14 and July 18, the victims were afraid to go to the hospital due to fears over ICE.

 

Read our prior coverage of what physicians, local hospitals like NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx, and others are doing to help the community “Stop the Bleed.”