The alleged Islamic extremist accused of slashing two NYPD officers with a machete near Times Square as revealers prepared to ring in the new year is Trevor Bickford, a 19-year-old from Maine his mother has described as an ‘old soul.’
A smiling Bickford is pictured in many of his mother’s social media posts, including one showing her visiting him in Seattle, where he apparently moved to from Wells, Maine just two months before the New Year’s Eve attack.
Bickford, armed with a machete, allegedly slashed two officers on 8th Avenue near Times Square, Commissioner Keechant Sewell said in a press conference.
Another officer shot Bickford in the shoulder and he was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, along with the two officers. They are all expected to survive.
The attack happened just after 10 p.m. about eight blocks from Times Square, just outside of the high-security zone where thousands of revelers were screened for weapons as they prepared to ring in 2023.
Trevor Bickford, 19, of Wells, Maine, allegedly approached a group of NYPD police officers near Times Square on New Year’s Eve and slashed two of the cops with a machete
Trevor Bickford is pictured with his mother in post she shared on Facebook gushing about her son’s move to Seattle just two months ago
The suspect swung this machete at a group of police officers who were stationed just outside of the Times Square perimeter, slashing one, reports NBC New York
Both officers were slashes in their heads, including the rookie cop who suffered a a skull fracture along with an 8-year veteran who had a head laceration.
At a recent press conference, Mayor Eric Adams said he had spoken to one of the wounded officers as he was being stitched up at the hospital.
‘He was in good spirits,’ Adams said. ‘He understood that his role saved lives of New Yorkers today.’
One of the injured, Paul, had just graduated from the academy on Friday, is actually assigned to a precinct in Staten Island but was pulled into Manhattan for the New Year Eve celebrations, reports the New York Post.
The attack was ‘unprovoked,’ Adams said at the press conference overnight. Both Sewell and Adams stressed there is no ‘active threat’ to the community. The festivities continued uninterrupted.
The slashing unfolded just just outside the security zone in Times Square, where thousands gathered for the annual New Year’s Eve ball drop. Police screened revelers for contraband such as alcohol, large bags, and weapons.
A police source told the Post, ‘No backpacks or umbrellas in Time Square. They forgot to mention machetes.’
Workers at a halal stand near the scene told the New York Daily News that they heard what they thought were explosions or gunshots,
‘I heard the sounds only — Bang! Bang!’ Prodip Bisws explained. ‘People were running, oh my god, they were running.’
Bickford (left) is pictured with his family, along with his brother who is in the US Army
Another officer fired on the suspect, hitting him in the shoulder. All of the injured were taken to Bellevue Hospital where they are in serious but stable condition, officials have said
Video from the scene shows revelers being hurried from the scene by cops attempting to control the scene, located at 52nd street and 8th avenue. Officers can be seen screaming at pedestrians to move away from the crime scene.
While a witness told the newspaper, ‘They moved the barricades really fast. He was a police officer in front of the barricade area and he moved it for police cars to move fast — and that’s when the barricade fell and got hit by the car. He got double whammied.’
An investigation was underway to pinpoint a motive for the attack, but authorities said they didn’t believe there was any ongoing threat to the public.
Michael Driscoll, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office, said they believe the attacker acted alone.
Authorities have told NBC NewYork that they looking into whether the suspect had previously posted what they called jihadist writings online and and then possibility traveled to New York City to target police.
The NYPD mounts a massive security operation every year to keep the New Year’s Eve crowd safe. Thousands of officers are deployed in the area, including many new recruits to the force.
The blocks where the biggest crowds gather to see performances and the midnight ball drop can only be accessed through checkpoints where officers use metal-detecting wands to screen for weapons. ‘
Large bags and coolers are banned. Barriers are set up to prevent vehicle attacks in the secure area.
The security perimeter can only extend so far, though. The attack took place on 8th Avenue, which is often packed with thick crowds navigating around the frozen zone or trying to find one of the secure entrances.