Juan Mercedes Arrested After Australian Tourist Stabbed at Manhattan McDonald’s

Juan Mercedes, 25, has been identified as the suspect accused of stabbing a 19-year-old Australian tourist inside a McDonald’s near Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan, New York.

The tourist was seriously wounded during the largely unprovoked attack early Monday but remained in stable condition.

Tourist Stabbed While Eating

The victim was sitting and eating inside the McDonald’s on Eighth Avenue at about 2 a.m. when he was stabbed in the rib cage and back.

Police said words were exchanged before the stabbing, although law enforcement sources described the attack as largely unprovoked.

The tourist was transported to Bellevue Hospital. His identity has not been released.

Juan Mercedes Charged

Police arrested Mercedes at the scene and charged him with second-degree assault, a felony.

Mercedes has an address in Port Charlotte, Florida, but it remains unclear whether he was visiting New York or previously lived in Florida.

He remained in custody pending arraignment.