Former Arsenal footballer Nicklas Bendtner narrowly escaped a stabbing incident in New York, which left his pal seriously injured. Chilling CCTV footage captured the dreadful scenes just before the assault unfolded.
Amidst the chaos last Thursday on Manhattan's Upper West Side, an assailant, dressed casually in T-shirt and shorts, surged towards Bendtner and his group with a knife in hand, only to dash away moments later. Local media report that Joshua Zinberg, 25, was seized by authorities on Friday, facing attempted murder and assault charges.
Shockingly, it was his mother who handed him over to law enforcement. Bendtner, famed for scoring 45 goals in 171 appearances during his nine-year spell with Arsenal, confirmed his presence in the horrific footage to Danish tabloid Ekstra Bladet, stating: "Yes, I can confirm that it is me in the video."
He continued: "Could it have been me who was attacked? I have no comment about that. But I can confirm that it's me on the video - it's hard to run away from."
Injuries were inflicted upon a 55 year old ex-pro footballer, who had to seek medical attention at Mount Sinai Hospital for facial wounds.
Eric Adams, New York's Mayor, remarked somberly on the grim event: "We walk past people every day that we know they do not have the ability to make the right decision to take care of themselves.
"This is a problem that was created when we closed the psychiatric facilities many years ago. We closed them without giving people the support that they deserve."