A man stabbed two people inside the Museum of Modern Art in New York on Saturday afternoon after he was denied entrance for previous incidents of disorderly conduct, authorities said.
Police said the two people who were stabbed were museum employees. Both were in stable condition at Bellevue Hospital.
NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence & Counterterrorism John Miller said the man's membership was revoked for two separate incidents of disorderly behavior at the museum in recent days.
“He became upset about now being allowed entrance, and then jumped over the reception desk and proceeded to attack and stab two employees of the museum multiple times,” Miller said.
Miller said the employees were stabbed in the back, in the collar bone, in the back of neck and were rushed within minutes to Bellevue.
Miller said police are trying to locate the man. He said law enforcement has video of the man leaving the museum and is aware of the direction he left.
He describe the man as a white male wearing a black jacket, blue surgical mask, a colorfully patterned shirt and hood. Miller described the man as a “regular” at the museum, and said the museum had adequate security.
Law enforcement officials are investigating the incident, and the identities of those involved and further details weren't immediately available.
Social media posts on Twitter showed that the midtown Manhattan museum evacuated patrons Saturday afternoon.
MoMA, founded in 1929, is one of New York City's top tourist attractions, and drew more than 700,000 visitors in 2020. Its collection of modern art includes ‘The Starry Night’ by Vincent Van Gogh and works by Henri Matisse and Paul Gaugin.
