Good Samaritans Walked Woman Home After She Felt Unsafe — Then They Were Stabbed by Man, Who's Still at Large

Two men who walked a woman home to make sure she was safe were stabbed in Brooklyn early Saturday, allegedly by the man she said had been following her, according to police. 

A woman approached two men around 1 a.m. on Saturday near Coney Island Avenue and Cortelyou Road, told them she was being followed and asked for help, per an NYPD statement shared with PEOPLE.

The men, 26 and 29 respectively, accompanied the woman to her home in Kensington.

Roughly 30 minutes after dropping the woman off, the good Samaritans encountered the same man who had been following the woman while walking near Ocean Parkway — police said he was following a different woman at that point. 

That’s when police said he suddenly attacked, stabbing the younger man in the chest and shoulder and the older man above his eye. 

The attacker fled the scene and is still at large; both men were taken to New York-Presbyterian Hospital in stable condition, per the NYPD.

“My fight or flight definitely kicked in,” the initial woman, who did not want to be identified, told CBS. “I was very anxious and afraid. I am so thankful for them because they literally, practically saved me.”

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“I just felt so sorry that they like got hurt like that. It just breaks my heart that they got hurt,” she continued. “I want to thank them like so much from the bottom of my heart. I hope I see them again to like say thank you in person.”

Neighbors found news of the attack disquieting: 

“It’s horrifying. Just the thought of like this happening to women and then [they] stepped up to help, getting hurt in the process,” a resident named Elyse told CBS.

Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on X, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.