A top hat-wearing madman stabbed three men during a brutal clash over food at a major Lower East Side intersection early Wednesday, cops and sources said.
A 26-year-old man from Queens was eating on the sidewalk at the corner of Bowery and Delancey Street around 1:15 a.m. when the spiffy stranger started arguing with him, according to authorities and law enforcement sources.
The brute then stabbed him in the stomach as things turned physical, police said.
Two bystanders, 21 and 19 – both from California – tried to break it up, but the menace turned on them, too, according to cops and sources.
The younger man was stabbed on the left arm and the older man slashed on the left shoulder, police said.
The attacker grabbed the first victim’s fanny pack, which was full of credit cards, before taking off, police said.
He was still on the loose Wednesday evening.
All three stabbing victims were taken to Bellevue Hospital, where they were listed in stable condition.
The NYPD released a photo of the suspected attacker, last seen wearing a black stovepipe top hat over a black baseball cap, as well as all-black clothing and black gloves.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, or on X @NYPDTips.
