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NYC man stabbed to death while trying to help neighbor's daughter, family says

NYC man fatally stabbed while trying to help neighbor's daughter, family says
NYC man fatally stabbed while trying to help neighbor's daughter, family says 01:36

NEW YORK — A man was stabbed to death Friday inside an Upper West Side apartment building as he tried to help a neighbor's daughter, his family says.

The victim has been identified as 46-year-old Alfred Soto.

According to police, officers responded to a call around 10 a.m. reporting an assault inside a building on West 96th Street near Columbus Avenue.

When officers arrived, police say they found Soto suffering from stab wounds to the stomach and chest. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died.

No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing.

"He was a hero"

Pasram John Somwar, a cousin of Soto's, said Soto lived on the 11th floor of the apartment building.

According to Somwar, a resident on the sixth floor of the building called Soto on Friday morning asking for help, saying her 19-year-old daughter was being threatened, and Soto ran down to help.

Somwar says about five men knocked on that sixth-floor apartment door, looking to take a dog from the 19-year-old, but instead, the group got into an argument with Soto.

"A scuffle happened, he was jumped and stabbed multiple times," Somwar said.

Soto's sister says the family was recovering from their mother's death from cancer just a month ago, and now her brother is gone, too.

"He did what he had to do to try to protect this woman's daughter, and I'm glad she was protected, but unfortunately, he lost his life," she said.

Soto's loved ones call it a selfless act to help someone and say it's how he lived.

"He definitely protected family, and, you know, a standup guy," Somwar said. "He was a good man and a good heart, and he loved his family ... He was a hero, you know? He was a hero."

Police said the 19-year-old woman was not injured. They are still trying to figure out the circumstances surrounding the confrontation and stabbing.

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