{"id":1007673,"date":"2026-08-18T01:47:36","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T01:47:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1007673\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T01:47:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T01:47:36","slug":"nyc-tourist-was-stabbed-at-infamous-murder-mcdonalds-near-penn-station-its-like-a-little-slice-of-hell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1007673\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC tourist was stabbed at infamous ‘murder McDonald’s’ near Penn Station: ‘It\u2019s like a little slice of hell’"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Manhattan fast-food joint where an Australian tourist was stabbed<\/a> in a terrifying, unprovoked attack Monday is an infamous hangout for shady characters \u2014 earning it the nickname \u201cMurder McDonald\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

The McDonald\u2019s at 490 Eight Avenue, which is open 24\/7, attracts a seedy clientele, including drug dealers, thugs and junkies from a nearby methadone clinic, after hours, they told The Post.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like a f\u2014ing nightmare,\u201d said one clinic patron named Toaster, 45, adding that he eats at the restaurant about once a week. <\/p>\n

The \u2018Murder McDonald\u2019s\u2019 on 8th Avenue in Manhattan where a 19-year-old tourist from Australia was stabbed. Stephen Yang for NY Post<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a murder McDonald\u2019s. They do whatever they want here. It\u2019s like a little slice of hell because you can get whatever you need here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou gotta watch out while you\u2019re eating McDonald\u2019s and you\u2019re not even freaking from here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nearby, a panhandler and admitted former drug pusher named Tony said anyone with common sense stays away from the eatery after midnight.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce it gets dark that\u2019s when all the stuff comes out \u2026 that\u2019s when the vampires come out, the bloodsuckers,\u201d he said. \u201cThe bloodsuckers come out when it hits dark. When it\u2019s light, they sleep, just like a vampire.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s money hour,\u201d Tony added. \u201cNot a place to be hanging out here at that late night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Police on scene at a McDonald\u2019s restaurant on 8th Avenue after a 19-year-old tourist was stabbed early Monday. Robert Mecea for New York Post<\/p>\n

At around 2 a.m. on Monday, a 19-year-old man from Australia was inside the McDonald\u2019s eating when he was stabbed in the ribs and back by a wackjob wielding a knife, according to police and law-enforcement sources.<\/p>\n

Words were exchanged between the victim and his attacker, but sources said the horrifying incident was largely unprovoked.<\/p>\n

The victim, who was staying at a nearby hotel, according to sources, was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.<\/p>\n

Cops later arrested Juan Mercedes, 25, and charged him with second-degree assault in the attack. Mercedes, of Florida, was awaiting arraignment later Monday.<\/p>\n

The victim may have been unaware of the notorious, Penn Station-area restaurant\u2019s sordid reputation, which was the subject of a 2015 New York Times article<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But the eatery remains a known hangout for troublemakers, according to the neighborhood regulars \u2014 and even a security guard stationed outside Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is bad,\u201d the guard said. \u201cThere\u2019s a clinic across the street so the clinic people come in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Police said a 19-year-old Australian tourist was eating at McDonald\u2019s when a maniac stabbed him. Robert Mecea for New York Post<\/p>\n

But she said the violence usually takes place outside: \u201cIt\u2019s more so the homeless people fighting the homeless people. It\u2019s not really inside here.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said her co-worker, who was on-duty at the time of Monday morning\u2019s stabbing, gave her a blow-by-blow account, including telling her \u201cI almost got stabbed too.\u201d<\/p>\n

The attacker \u201cwas screaming and ran to [the victim] and stabbed him twice,\u201d she said the fellow security guard told her.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was just talking gibberish.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fellow guard \u201csaid he asked why he would do that and he just stared at him. He waited outside for the cops. When the cops came, he dropped the knife.\u201d<\/p>\n

Major crimes have dipped by 11% in the NYPD Midtown South precinct, which patrols the area, with one exception being three murders so far this year compared to two over the same span in 2025.<\/p>\n

Locals said a McDonald\u2019s on 8th Avenue in Manhattan is known as a dangerous spot after hours. Stephen Yang for NY Post<\/p>\n

By early afternoon Monday, the restaurant was packed with patrons and there were no signs of the violence that unfolded there hours earlier \u2014 but locals said it\u2019ll change when darkness falls. <\/p>\n

\u201cSpotters\u201d looking to sell drugs or robbing the unsuspecting are always around the eatery, which is near the corner of West 35th Street not far from Penn Station, they said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe drug people always be here,\u201d said Khan Raze, who works at a nearby gift shop. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re always selling and drinking,\u201d he added. \u201cLate night it\u2019s dangerous, especially 34th Street. It\u2019s always people sitting and the drug mafia.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Additional reporting by Amanda Woods<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Manhattan fast-food joint where an Australian tourist was stabbed in a terrifying, unprovoked attack Monday is an…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1007674,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,5249,21037,5248,405,403,5226,5225,5228,5227,5257,8626,5268,67,586,132,5230,68,1154,2969],"class_list":["post-1007673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-america","tag-manhattan","tag-mcdonalds","tag-metro","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-newyork","tag-newyorkcity","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nypd","tag-stabbings","tag-tourists","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-us-news","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117113994984003948","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1007673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1007673"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1007673\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1007674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1007673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1007673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1007673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}