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Man, 39, charged with attempted rape and murder of co-worker and attacking her sons in Philadelphia

A New York City man has been arrested in Philadelphia on more than a dozen criminal counts for allegedly stabbing his co-worker after attempting to rape her, and then brutally knifing her two young sons in the head for defending their mother. 

Hengjian Ni, 39, turned himself in to police on Sunday afternoon and was charged with three counts each of attempt to commit murder, simple assault, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, and one count each of attempt to commit rape, possessing instruments of crime, and burglary.

A Philadelphia Police Department spokesperson confirmed to DailyMail.com that Ni and the female victim were colleagues, but she did not reveal a motive behind the savage attack. 

The mother-of-two remained in critical condition on Tuesday, while her sons aged, 10 and 15, were in stable condition.  

Hengjian Ni, 39, faces 15 criminal counts in connection with a triple stabbing in Philadelphia, including attempted murder and rape, assault and burglary

Hengjian Ni, 39, faces 15 criminal counts in connection with a triple stabbing in Philadelphia, including attempted murder and rape, assault and burglary

Man, 39, charged with attempted rape and murder of co-worker and attacking her sons in Philadelphia 3

Three victims – a 37-year-old woman, a 10-year-old boy and a 15-year-old teenager, were stabbed in the Mayfair neighborhood of Philadelphia on Sunday

The woman and her two sons – all of Asian descent like the suspect – were attacked inside their home in the 3200 block of Knorr Street in the Mayfair neighborhood just after 2pm on Sunday.

The female victim was stabbed multiple times all over her body. Her older son was stabbed twice in the back of the head, and the younger boy sustained one knife wound to the back of the head and another to the left leg.

All three victims were transported to the Frankford-Torresdale Hospital.

A neighbor told CBS Philadelphia that she was standing in her driveway on Sunday afternoon when she saw the two siblings running out of their home just moments after being stabbed.

‘When the second kid came running out, he was covered in blood from like head all the way down to his stomach,’ the neighbor recounted.

The woman said the children told her and other neighbors that the suspect was a colleague of their mother’s, and that he attacked her in their home.

When the brothers came downstairs and tried to shield their mother from the knife blows, the assailant stabbed them as well, according to the neighbor. 

The neighbor said soon she saw the suspected attacker emerge from the victims’ home.

‘The guy came out, I didn’t know what he was going to do, if he was going to try to attack [the children] again,’ the neighbor added. ‘So I said, “Run, run, run, inside my house.” So we all ran inside my basement.’

The woman said as she was running down the stairs behind the boys, she looked back to see if the man was following them.

‘He just turned around, he looked at us, and just casually walked away,’ she said.

The neighbor later called 911. While waiting for police to arrive, the brothers asked her to check on their wounded mother.

The neighbor called out to the woman, and she said the mother came stumbling down the steps.

Ni, who was seen walking away from the crime scene while carrying a backpack, turned himself in at the 15th district station later in the day. He was taken to the hospital to be identified and is now in police custody. 

Violent crime in Philadelphia is up 3.7 percent from this time last year, according to the latest numbers from the city’s police department. Crime continues to rise after the city saw more than 560 homicides last year, breaking the record of 503 in 1990.

Anti-Asian hate crimes in the U.S. went up by 77 percent from 2019 to 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic, which originated in China, has been blamed for the trend.

The woman remains in critical condition, police say. The boys are in stable condition. Their identifies and their relationship to each other have not been revealed

The woman remains in critical condition, police say. The boys are in stable condition. Their identifies and their relationship to each other have not been revealed

Police first announced that the suspect remained at large, though he turned himself in at a police station later in the day and was detained. Charges have not been announced

Police first announced that the suspect remained at large, though he turned himself in at a police station later in the day and was detained. Charges have not been announced

Police haven’t revealed the identities of the victims of Sunday’s attack.

Video captured by WPVI shows the scene of the grisly stabbings, which is located in a street lined with rowhouses, cordoned off with police tape as cruisers stand by.

It happened in Mayfair, a neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia that is 10 percent Asian, according to Niche. 

Last year, a 17-year-old Chinese-American student was randomly punched by two teens in the neighborhood, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

A female friend of the attackers laughed, according to the victim and his grandmother. 

No racist words were spoken during the attack, and police did not investigate it as a hate crime, the Inquirer reported at the time.

There were 158 reported anti-Asian hate crimes in 2019 throughout the U.S., according to the FBI. In 2020, that number jumped by 77 percent to 279.

All violent crime in Philadelphia is up by 3.7 percent compared to last year. Property crimes – including burglary, retail theft and auto theft – are up by 5.43 percent.

Overall ‘Part 1’ offenses, which include mix violent crimes with property crimes like burglary and motor vehicle theft, are up by 5.06 percent 

The city is home to 1.6 million people, making it the largest in Pennsylvania.

‘Philadelphia’s 2021 murder rate easily surpassed our all-time record of 503 people murdered in 1990 and has passed the 499 homicides that happened in 2020,’ city Councilman Kenyatta Johnson said in a statement in January.

Violent crime in Philadelphia is up by 3.7 percent from this time last year. Overall Part 1 offenses, which include burglary and motor vehicle theft, are up 5.06 percent

Violent crime in Philadelphia is up by 3.7 percent from this time last year. Overall Part 1 offenses, which include burglary and motor vehicle theft, are up 5.06 percent

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner faced criticism in December for saying the city doesn't have a crisis of lawlessness or crime. Above, Krasner on January 31

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner faced criticism in December for saying the city doesn’t have a crisis of lawlessness or crime. Above, Krasner on January 31

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney pushed back on Krasner's remarks a few days later, saying he agrees 'we're in a gun crisis.' Above, Kenney in March 2020

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney pushed back on Krasner’s remarks a few days later, saying he agrees ‘we’re in a gun crisis.’ Above, Kenney in March 2020

‘This is not a record any city leader or Philadelphia resident should be proud of. Reducing gun violence in Philadelphia should be the number one priority for all city leaders in 2022. There are at least 560 families who have lost a loved one in 2021 and that is totally unacceptable!’

In December, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner came under fire after claiming there isn’t a crime issue in the city.  

‘I think it’s important, as we report on what is a true crisis when it comes to gun violence in the United States and also in Philadelphia, I think it’s important we don’t let this become mushy and bleed into thinking there is some big spike in crime.’

‘We don’t have a crisis of lawlessness, we don’t have a crisis of crime, we don’t have a crisis of violence.’

Former Mayor Michael Nutter called Krasner’s remarks ‘some of the worst, most ignorant, and most insulting comments I have ever heard spoken by an elected official.’

Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney pushed back on Krasner’s words a few days later, saying he agrees ‘we’re in a gun crisis,’ according to the Inquirer.  

Last month, prosecutors said that a man who was arrested for dismembering his girlfriend’s body with a machete killed her because she was a ‘threat to his masculinity.’  

Nicholas Scurria, 32, was taken into custody by police in the early morning of Friday, February 11 in Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania, five miles west of Philadelphia. 

Nicholas Scurria, 32, allegedly killed his girlfriend by beheading her with a machete before attempting to dismember the rest of her body because she was a 'threat to his masculinity,' prosecutors said

Nicholas Scurria, 32, allegedly killed his girlfriend by beheading her with a machete before attempting to dismember the rest of her body because she was a ‘threat to his masculinity,’ prosecutors said

Scurria was arrested by police near Philadelphia early on February 11 after neighbors called cops following loud noises coming from their apartment

Scurria was arrested by police near Philadelphia early on February 11 after neighbors called cops following loud noises coming from their apartment

Police found rolls of plastic and bags inside the home which police believe were going to be used to hide his girlfriend's body

Police found rolls of plastic and bags inside the home which police believe were going to be used to hide his girlfriend’s body

Police said that Scurria killed his unidentified girlfriend ‘in response to what the defendant perceived as a threat to his masculinity.’

‘His actions were cowardly as well as evil, and he will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,’ said Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer at the time.

‘This morning’s horrific murder is a sad reminder of the threat that many women face on a daily basis.’ 

Police rushed to the scene after being called in the middle of the night by Scurria’s next-door neighbor at 4.40am after heading screaming and loud bangs coming through the walls.

A police report details how after a huge amount of noise between the couple, the place suddenly ‘became quiet’ before ‘sawing-like sounds’ and ‘the gathering or shifting of plastic material’ could then be heard. 

When police showed up they found Scurria sitting on a mattress sawing the left leg of his girlfriend's corpse. He is pictured here in a photo from Facebook with a skateboard

When police showed up they found Scurria sitting on a mattress sawing the left leg of his girlfriend’s corpse. He is pictured here in a photo from Facebook with a skateboard

The police affidavit shows a neighbor ‘woke up to loud screaming in the neighboring apartment.’ 

Police arrived on the scene to find Scurria allegedly using a machete to saw off the left leg of his girlfriend’s body, who had already been decapitated. 

‘Furthermore, the female victim was decapitated while lying on her back on the floor,’ the affidavit stated.  

Scurria was found sitting on a mattress as he carried out the bloody act as officers burst in with their weapons drawn.

A roll of plastic wrap was found next to her body.

‘Police witnessed the suspect attempting to decapitate the already-deceased victim using a machete,’ the report states. 

Clifton Heights Police Chief Tim Rockenbach said the victim had suffered ‘severe trauma to the head and neck.’ 

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Zora Stowers

Update: 2024-05-07