NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A homeless man was sentenced to 14 years to life in prison for the 2021 unprovoked stabbing attack on a skateboarder on the Williamsburg Bridge, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Friday.
Omar Cartagena, 46, who was deemed a mandatory persistent violent felony offender because of previous felony convictions, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault on Sept. 7.
At about 10 a.m., on October 16, 2021, Cartagena was riding a bicycle behind the 30-year-old victim as he skateboarded across the Williamsburg Bridge.
According to the evidence, Cartagena started to yell at the victim and demanded he get out of the way. Despite the victim moving to the other side of the bike path, the defendant continued to yell at him.
Cartagena then pulled up next to the victim and stabbed him once in the chest with a knife.
According to the evidence, the victim was able to take a photo of Cartagena as he rode away and a second photo of Cartagena waiting for him at the end of the bridge with the knife in his hands.
The victim then skateboarded to an urgent care clinic in Greenpoint where an employee called 911.
The victim was transported to Elmhurst Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery due to severe internal bleeding and remained hospitalized for eight days.
Approximately two hours after the stabbing, Cartagena was arrested by detectives who were canvassing the area around the Williamsburg Bridge and recognized him from the victim's photos. Cartagena had a bloody knife tucked into his waistband. DNA from the blade matched the victim.
Additionally, in the time between stabbing the 30-year-old victim on the Williamsburg Bridge and his arrest, Cartagena stabbed a 34-year-old man on the Lower East Side, officials said.
Cartagena pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in Manhattan in that case and received a sentence of 14 years to life in prison. The Brooklyn and Manhattan sentences will run concurrently.
"This was a brutal and horrifying attack on a completely innocent man. I am committed to keeping the people of Brooklyn safe from violence," District Attorney Gonzalez said. "With today's lengthy sentence, the defendant will be held accountable for his actions."
