Three people were stabbed in Brooklyn's Crown Heights on the morning of Labor Day, September 7, hours before the main parade of the annual West Indian Carnival. reports ABC7. The attacks took place near the route of the procession, where authorities deployed thousands of police to provide security.
The first attack occurred around 5:48 a.m. at the intersection of Utica Avenue and Carroll Street. When officers arrived, they found a 23-year-old man with a stab wound to the neck and a 36-year-old man shot in the face.
Less than half an hour later, at about 6:12 a.m., another victim was found nearby at the intersection of Utica Avenue and President Street. A 32-year-old man was also stabbed in the neck.
All three were taken to Kings County Hospital. According to the latest police reports provided by radio station 1010 WINS, the 23-year-old and 36-year-old men are in stable condition, while the condition of the 32-year-old is assessed as critical.
Police do not rule out that the same person may be behind both attacks. ABC7 reports they are looking for a dark-skinned man who was last seen wearing gray jeans and a dark T-shirt. He disappeared in an unknown direction. At the time of publication, no arrests were reported.
The attacks occurred almost simultaneously with the start of the J'Ouvert, the traditional morning celebration that precedes the West Indian American Day Parade. J'Ouvert started at 6:00 a.m. and is scheduled to end at 11:00 a.m., when the main procession begins along Eastern Parkway. This year the parade takes place in New York for the 59th time and traditionally coincides with Labor Day. It is considered the largest Caribbean parade in North America and attracts hundreds of thousands of participants and spectators.
This year, authorities stepped up security in advance due to incidents of violence during previous celebrations. New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica Tisch said ahead of the holiday that thousands of officers were expected to be on duty along the parade routes and surrounding areas from Sunday night through Monday. She called the operation one of the NYPD's largest annual mobilizations.
Increased security measures are also related to the events of last year. In 2025, Tisch said there were three separate shootings in the area after the parade ended, leaving six people wounded. Because of this, the police were forced to end the celebration early. This year's parade must end no later than 5:30 p.m., an end time specifically set to take into account previous incidents of violence.
Labor Day is celebrated annually in the United States on the first Monday of September and is a federal holiday. Read about the origins of the holiday and how it is celebrated in our material.
