A 12-year-old girl was undergoing surgery for critical injuries Friday after police said her stepfather stabbed her and his wife in their Bronx apartment.
NYPD officials said someone called 911 after hearing a woman screaming around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday at a building on East 173rd Street and Boone Avenue in Crotona Park East. When officers arrived, they found the girl with multiple stab wounds to her head and a 31-year-old woman stabbed in her abdomen and slashed in her face, according to police. They also found two other children — a 5-year-old boy and 2-year-old girl — unharmed, officials said.
Police took 28-year-old Joshua Burnside into custody, and said he is the woman’s husband and the 12-year-old girl’s stepfather. Officials said he is the two younger children’s biological father.
First responders took the 12-year-old to Cohen Children's Medical Center in critical condition, while her mother and the other children were taken to Jacobi Hospital in stable condition, according to police.
Burnside was charged with assault, criminal possession of a weapon and child endangerment. He was waiting to go before a judge in Bronx Criminal Court on Friday, but information for his attorney was not yet available.
Police said they were still investigating a motive for the attack, which comes amid a surge in domestic violence throughout New York City even as most other crime declines.
NYPD data obtained by Gothamist shows domestic violence complaints have spiked around 18% over the past five years, but law enforcement officials and experts have struggled to discern specific reasons behind the increase.
Mayor Eric Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch last week announced the creation of a new domestic violence unit, which will send about 450 investigators citywide to focus on the issue. Police have been making significantly more domestic violence arrests in recent years, including more than 60,000 in 2024.
This is a developing story based on preliminary information from police and may be updated.
