Man stabbed several times outside home in Cheltenham Township during attempted car theft, police say
CHELTENHAM TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS) -- A carjacking turned into a stabbing after a man confronted the would-be robbers. Neighbors who heard the incident reacted to it on Saturday night.
That stabbing victim remains in critical condition after police say he tried stopping a group of masked men from breaking into his SUV in Cheltenham Township. He was stabbed several times.
The victim underwent emergency surgery after being stabbed right in front of his home.
Police say two men tried breaking into his Suburban, and then two more joined in when the victim confronted them.
"This was very disturbing to have something like this happen in our neighborhood, it's just very surprising," Joe Reilly said.
Neighbors in the 200 block of Grove Avenue in Cheltenham Township were forced out of a sound sleep around 3 a.m. Saturday moments after a group of masked men tried breaking into a man's Chevy Suburban.
"Waking up in the middle of the night you don't really know what's going on but then as I started looking I started to see the actual ambulance with some stretchers and I knew it was something bad," a man said.
Police say the owner of the SUV confronted the group of four men. When a struggle ensued, he tried fighting back but the victim was stabbed multiple times.
"He was walking down the street and I heard him say, 'Oh my God I've been stabbed, I've been stabbed,'" Reilly said.
Surveillance video obtained by CBS3 shows a dark colored car pull onto the block just before 3 a.m.
About a minute later, it backs up and speeds away.
Officers found the victim near his home suffering from multiple stab wounds.
"Hopefully this is just a one-time thing and it should not happen again," Reilly said.
Cheltenham Township police say there have been a good number of thefts from vehicles in this area recently.
Now, people living on this quiet block are on edge after this violent attack.
"Last couple years you just got to be really vigilant because crime is just spreading everywhere," a man said.
Police say the victim was able to pull a mask off one of the men, but they do not have a good description of the suspects or the getaway car.
They are asking neighbors in the area to review any surveillance video and urging anyone with information to come forward.