A worker at a Harlem deli was stabbed in the neck Wednesday during a clash with a shoplifting customer, police and workers said.
Cops called to the Food Market at the corner of Third Ave. and E. 116th St. and found the 24-year-old victim stabbed in the neck, according to police.
The attacker, who wore a blue jacket, surgical mask and do-rag, was caught on the store’s surveillance camera holding a long, thin knife in his fist, workers said.
The bloody assault was caught on camera, they said.
“The guy was trying to steal something. Then they had an argument right in front of the register and he just put out a knife and cut him on the neck,” said Eli Abdo, a helper at the store. “[The victim] just helped here every now and then. He didn’t work here.”
EMS rushed the man to Harlem Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.
“He’s in the hospital. He’s doing OK,” Abdo said. “It’s so sad. He’s very young. He’s a very nice guy.”
His attacker, who is believed to be homeless, was last seen running off down Third Ave.
No arrests have been made.
Cops were scouring the area for surveillance footage that could help them identify the stabber.