Philly Police Arrest Man Wanted in Connection With NYC Museum Stabbing

Lorenz Duchamps
By Lorenz Duchamps
March 15, 2022New York
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Philly Police Arrest Man Wanted in Connection With NYC Museum Stabbing
In this photo from a social media post by Scott Cowdrey, people are evacuated from the Museum of Modern Art in N.Y.C. where a stabbing occurred on March 12, 2022. (Scott Cowdrey via AP)

A man accused of stabbing two employees at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City on March 12 was arrested in Philadelphia early on Tuesday, police said.

Gary Cabana, 60, was located by Philadelphia police officers on a bench at the Greyhound bus station in Center City. He was taken into custody without incident, authorities said.

Cabana, who is known to the New York Police Department (NYPD), has been accused of stabbing two MoMA workers, a 24-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman. Both victims were stabbed multiple times after the suspect was denied entry into the museum.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams was briefed on the incident on March 12, his press secretary said in a statement. He added that the mayor will continue to monitor the investigation as well as the recovery of the two victims, who are both listed in stable condition and are expected to make a full recovery.

“This appears to be an isolated, criminal incident. Neither victim is suffering from life-threatening injuries at this time,” Fabien Levy said in the statement.

Security footage from inside the museum shows Cabana allegedly jumping over a reception desk toward the workers and stabbing them as they attempted to flee.

NTD Photo
In this photo provided by Yuichi Shimada, medical personnel respond at the Museum of Modern Art in New York after a man stabbed two employees after he was denied entrance for previous incidents of disorderly conduct on March 12, 2022. (Yuichi Shimada via AP)

NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence & Counterterrorism, John Miller, said the suspect became angry after his membership was revoked in relation to two separate incidents of disorderly behavior at the museum in recent days.

“He became upset about not being allowed entrance, and then jumped over the reception desk and proceeded to attack and stab two employees of the museum multiple times,” Miller said.

MoMA, founded in 1929, is one of NYC’s top tourist attractions, drawing more than 700,000 visitors in 2020. Its collection of modern art includes “The Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh and works by Henri Matisse and Paul Gauguin.

The museum evacuated patrons after the attack and closed. It was scheduled to reopen Tuesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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