Police said the men stepped into an altercation after a 26-year-old friend was stabbed near Delancey Street and Bowery.
NEW YORK — Two men who tried to intervene after their friend was stabbed during an early-morning confrontation on Manhattan’s Lower East Side were also wounded, police said Wednesday, sending all three men to Bellevue Hospital.
The confrontation happened about 1:15 a.m. near Delancey Street and Bowery. Police said it began when a man approached a 26-year-old Queens resident and argued with him over food. The encounter escalated, and the 26-year-old was stabbed in the stomach.
A witness told ABC7 New York that the dispute had started inside a grocery store after the man later identified as the suspect asked for food or money. Police had not released a detailed account of how the argument developed or said whether the men knew one another before the encounter.
Two friends of the 26-year-old then tried to break up the altercation, according to the report. Police said a 21-year-old man was stabbed in the left shoulder and a 19-year-old man was stabbed in the left arm. The two men were described as being from California.
All three injured men were taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition. Authorities did not release their names or provide additional information Wednesday about the extent of their treatment. There was no indication in the available reports that any of the injuries were considered life-threatening.
The man police were seeking fled west on Delancey Street after the stabbing, authorities said. He was described as having dreadlocks and wearing black clothing and a top hat. Police had not publicly named him, and no arrest had been announced.
The weapon used in the attack also had not been recovered, police said. Investigators had not provided further information about the type of weapon or said where they believed the suspect went after leaving the immediate area.
CBS New York separately reported that police were looking for a person of interest after three men were stabbed in the Bowery early Wednesday. The available reports did not indicate that investigators had released surveillance images or additional identifying information.
The episode left investigators trying to locate the person responsible while the three wounded men recovered. Police had made no arrests as of the latest available reports, and details surrounding the initial dispute remained under investigation.
Author note: Last updated September 30, 2026.