2 children and woman killed, 3 hurt in Newark stabbing

NEWARK, N.J. – Two children and a woman were fatally stabbed at a Newark home during a rampage Saturday and three other people were injured, authorities said.

The attack, which Newark Mayor Ras Baraka called “one of the most tragic and savage” he’s seen, left an 8-year-old girl, an 11-year-old boy and a 23-year-old woman dead. Three others, a boy and a girl, both 13, and a 29-year-old woman, were in stable condition at a hospital. Authorities said many of the victims were family members and they had been stabbed with a knife or knives.

Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray said at a news conference Saturday night that police are seeking a 26-year-old man who is a person of interest in the case. She said he already was wanted on charges of sexual assault and aggravated assault for an unrelated incident on Oct. 9. He has not been charged in Saturday afternoon’s stabbings.

Baraka pleaded for anyone with information to come forward, NJ.com reported. “We have to get him immediately before he hurts someone else,” he said. “As long as he’s on the street, nobody is safe.”

The mayor said, “This is probably one of the most tragic and savage situations that I’ve seen in a very, very long time here.”

Essex County’s major crimes task force and Newark police are investigating the attack.

Police have offered a $20.000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

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This story has been corrected to show that six people were stabbed overall, not seven, as authorities originally said.