Wells, Maine, Man Stabbed Two NYPD Officers With Machete – Reports

🔵 A 19-year-old man stabbed two NYPD officers near Times Square and attempted to attack a third, according to the NYPD

🔵 Three media outlets identified the suspect as Trevor Bickford of Wells

🔵 The incident didn't disrupt the New Year's celebration in Times Square

A York County man was reportedly charged with stabbing two New York City police officers, including one two days on the job, with a machete in Times Square on New Year's Eve.

NYPD commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said that the officers were approached by a 19-year-old man at West 52nd Street and 8th Avenue outside a security screening zone around 10:10 p.m. The man struck two officers in the head with a machete, and unsuccessfully tried to strike a third.

One of the officers stabbed is an eight-year veteran a who suffered laceration wound. The other is a rookie who graduated from the NYPD police academy on Friday, who also suffered a skull fracture.

One of the officers fired their service weapon at the man, striking him in the shoulder.

Fox 5 New York reported that the sound of gunfire briefly send the crowd gathered to watch the ball drop running. The evening's events were not impacted by the attack.

🔴 Officers, Suspect Hospitalized

All three officers were taken to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, where they were in stable condition as of early Sunday morning.  They are expected to recover from their injuries. The suspect was also taken to Bellevue.

The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force is also involved in the investigation to determine the nature of the attack. Michael J. Driscoll, assistant director in charge of the FBI's New York Field Office, and Sewell said there is no ongoing threat.

"The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is working closely with NYPD to determine the nature of this attack and we will run every lead to ground," Kristen Setera of the FBI's Boston office told Seacoast Current. "To protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation, we are going to refrain from commenting on its substance at this time."

The NYPD did not disclose the identity of the suspect as of Sunday morning.

🔴 Report: Family Reported Bickford to FBI

Unnamed law enforcement sources told the New York Post, Fox News and WNBC TV the suspect was Trevor Bickford, 19, of Wells. A NY Post photo of the suspect being taken into Bellevue matches one of Trevor on Facebook.

ABC News reported that law enforcement is investigating whether or not Bickford came to New York specifically to hurt police officers. He took an Amtrak train to New York on December 29, the sources told ABC News.

Unnamed police sources told Post that his aunt notified the FBI because Bickford recently made comments about going to Afghanistan to fight, and was on a guardian list.

Bickford was a member of the football and wrestling teams at Wells High School, according to the website Hudl. He also was one of 18 WHS students who won awards in the 2020 Maine Region Scholastic Art Awards competition.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH