A woman who was stabbed in the neck while jogging on a popular Brooklyn waterfront promenade has been declared brain dead, police sources said Saturday.
The 28-year-old runner, identified by police sources as Katie Suarez, was running on the waterfront near Bay 17th Street and Shore Parkway in Bath Beach just after 8 p.m. Friday when she was attackedpolice said.
Suarez’s father found her on the path when he went looking for her, according to police sources.
Disturbing images captured a blood-soaked scene on the pathway, which runs along the edge of Gravesend Bay and offers commanding views of Staten Island and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
On the other side of the promenade—which is frequented by walkers, bikers and fishermen—is the busy Belt Parkway.
Blood smears were seen on a railing she likely grabbed, and blood also stained the concrete path. What appeared to be her pink cell phone lay on the ground.
Suarez was found in the grass with a stab woundthe sources said.
The attack appeared to be random, a police source told The Post.
She was rushed to Langone Hospital, where she was declared brain dead, the sources said.
There were no arrests and police are canvassing for video, according to the sources.
“NYPD taking this very seriously and have many of our speciality teams out last night and all of today, including scuba, aviation, K9s, and drones,” a police spokeswoman said.
A neighbor described Suarez as an “especially good” person who was always quiet and kind.
“They are good neighbors. I saw her constantly.”
Suarez had a “very good character, he said, and was heartbroken by the savage attack.
“F–k man, that’s sad. Very sad,” said the man, who added that she worked at a nearby bank.
“Very professional. I interact with her, I would say maybe two weeks ago, I saw her there . . . She’s a teller there.”
“A good teller and good character . . . Looks like a very family oriented woman.”
A woman who lives nearby said she was frightened by the attack.
“I need a gun,” said Anna Dece, who was walking her chihuahua and has lived in the neighborhood for 30 years.
“I’m very sad,” she said.
“That’s terrible. I’m sad for everybody but this is close. It’s too much right now.”
While overall crime is down 0.5% in the local 62nd Precinct that covers the area, felony assault is up 17% as of Oct. 25, according to the most recent NYPD data available.
A woman leaving the victim’s apartment said that Suarez “wasn’t lost yet.”
An area resident who was out watching the sunset said she was “shocked” when she heard the news.
“I’m honestly shocked,” Lana S., a 42-year-old small business owner said. “I’ve lived here a little over 15 years now, and this is my favorite place to come and walk and unwind.”
“It always seems very peaceful and calm here,” she added, noting that people use the promenade to bike and run.
“I’ve never, ever seen anything violent or dangerous around here. I just don’t understand how someone is capable of doing something like that. My heart goes out to her family.”
Additional reporting by Marie Pohl and Khristina Nariznaya
Source: nypost.com
