(CNN) — Patrons of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City were evacuated Saturday afternoon after two employees were stabbed inside the iconic establishment by a man who was involved in two disorderly conduct incidents at the museum in last few days, police said.
The two employees were stabbed in the back, collarbone and neck and were rushed to Bellevue Hospital minutes after the attack. They received immediate medical attention and are expected to survive, Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller said during a news conference Saturday night.
“At approximately 4:15 this afternoon, a person entered the museum, attempted to gain entry by presenting their membership card, and was denied entry because their membership had expired as a result of two disturbances related incidents here at the museum. on two different dates in the last few days,” Miller said.
Miller said that when he was denied entry to the museum, the suspect became angry and then jumped over the reception desk and attacked two museum employees, stabbing them multiple times.
The NYPD is still searching for the suspect, who was identified in a news release early Sunday as 60-year-old Gary Cabana. Authorities had previously described him as a man wearing a black jacket and a surgical mask. His description was immediately posted by division radio units in the area and responding units in the immediate vicinity of the scene launched a search, according to Miller.
New York police released a series of photos of the man wanted for questioning in connection with the MoMA stabbings on Saturday.
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The suspect, who is a regular at MoMA, entered the building on Saturday intending to attend a movie at the iconic venue. He is known to the NYPD, Miller said, and the department is looking for him in connection with two incidents that occurred in Midtown Manhattan, where the museum is located, before Saturday’s double stabbing. The man was caught on video leaving the museum, he added.
“We know the person involved in this incident and we are trying to locate this person at this time,” Miller said. The incident is still ongoing and the investigation is in its early stages, she said.
The museum will be closed to the public on Sunday, said on social networks.
Mayor Eric Adams said he was briefed on the incident on Saturday and his press secretary tweeted that “appears to be an isolated criminal incident”.
“We can report that the two victims are being treated at Bellevue Hospital and are expected to survive their injuries.” tweeted Adams. “We are grateful for the quick work of our first responders.”
Adams asked for the public’s help in locating the individual, tweeting, “Please continue to avoid the area as police continue their investigation and if you have any information please contact the NYPD immediately. Public safety is our top priority.”
In videos shared on social media, dozens of people are seen leaving the museum in a large crowd.
“They didn’t tell us what was going on, just that they had to close the exhibits immediately,” MoMA patron Tina Rook told CNN. “One woman said it was an emergency,” Rook said, adding that police and museum officials handled the entire incident very well.
The official New York City Emergency Management Agency informed residents of the road closure and emergency personnel on the scene near West 53rd Street and 6th Avenue in Manhattan, according to a tweet on Saturday afternoon.
Miller said there was a lot of security in the area at the time of the incident, but described it as a “spontaneous incident that developed rapidly.”
The incident at New York’s renowned museum came as the city has endured an ongoing wave of violent crime this year.
Mayor Eric Adams has begun implementing his comprehensive plan to combat gun violence and crime in the city. Part of the plan includes reviving the NYPD’s controversial crime-fighting unit. Neighborhood safety teams will be tasked with patrolling high-crime neighborhoods beginning Monday.
The city saw a 41% increase in serious crimes overall during the first few months of 2022 compared to the same period last year, including a nearly 54% increase in robberies, a 56% increase in incidents of grand theft and a 22% increase in reported rapes, the data shows. Adams released his “Plan to End Gun Violence” in January, which includes long-term goals to increase economic opportunity, improve early childhood education and provide more access to mental health resources while addressing the crisis of weapons.
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