Suspect in MoMA Stabbings Arrested in Philadelphia
A person suspected of stabbing and wounding two workers of New York’s Museum of Trendy Artwork (MoMA) over the weekend was apprehended immediately, March 15, in Philadelphia, the New York Police Division (NYPD) mentioned.
The suspect was recognized as Gary Cabana, a 60-year-old man who was upset over the revocation of his museum membership final Friday on account of two earlier incidents involving “disorderly conduct,” in accordance with the NYPD. Cabana launched his assault after he was denied entry to the museum on Saturday.
A surveillance video launched final week reveals the suspect barreling into the museum at 4:15pm on Saturday, leaping over a reception desk, and stabbing two entrance desk workers repeatedly within the again, collarbone, and again of the neck. The wounded workers are reportedly a person and a lady, each aged 24. They’re in steady situation at Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital and are anticipated to outlive the assault.
The museum was evacuated instantly after the incident and remained closed by way of Monday. In a tweet this morning, MoMA introduced that it will likely be welcoming guests once more immediately, including: “We’re relieved and grateful that our colleagues are recovering, and the attacker was arrested.”
Steve Keeley, a reporter for Fox 29 Philadelphia, posted a video of the arrest on Twitter, displaying Cabana being led handcuffed right into a police automotive. In response to Keeley, Philadelphia police arrested Cabana at a Greyhound bus station within the metropolis at 1:30am on Tuesday.
On Sunday, March 13, whereas nonetheless at massive, Cabana posted an incoherent rant towards MoMA on his Fb web page accusing the museum of a “body job” and focusing on a sure museum worker he named “Barbara.” He denied the allegations of disorderly conduct towards him, saying he was silenced whereas laughing throughout a “comedy” movie. Cabana, whom acquaintances describe as a cinephile, additionally prompt that he’s affected by bipolar dysfunction, writing: “Bipolar is a tricky street to hoe. Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde.”
In response to the NYPD, Cabana’s final recognized tackle was a supportive housing residence in Midtown Manhattan operated by Breaking Floor, a nonprofit that provides shelter for the homeless, the mentally in poor health, and folks dwelling with HIV/AIDS. He had no prior arrests.
Tara Varney, a detailed buddy of Cabana who mentioned she studied theater with him at Missouri State College in Springfield, instructed Gothamist that he fell into isolation after he misplaced his job as a Broadway usher when theaters closed through the pandemic. She added that Cabana had a historical past of psychological sickness that has worsened since he misplaced his livelihood. Nonetheless, she expressed shock on the incident at MoMA, saying: “It wouldn’t have ever occurred to me that he may lash out.”
MoMA has not responded to Hyperallergic’s request for remark.