HOBOKEN AND JERSEY CITY — A 46-year-old Jersey City man is in critical condition after a stab wound punctured his bowel and hit his right kidney on Monday night in downtown Hoboken.
Officers say they were flagged down at approximately 8 p.m. near Newark and Hudson streets and found a man who had suffered a stab wound one inch in width. According to police, heavy bleeding from the wound caused the victim to become incoherent, and he apparently went into shock. After Jersey City Medical Center and Hoboken Volunteer Corp personnel arrived, the victim was transported to Jersey City Medical Center Trauma Center.
Police say the man suffered a single stab wound to the abdomen, just under his bottom rib.
On Monday night, the victim came out of surgery and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit and is in a medically induced coma, according to police. An artificial airway was created for the victim. According to a police report, further surgery will be conducted on Wednesday.
During canvassing of the area, an officer found a silver ACE Exacto knife laying two feet from the victim, according to a report. The knife was collected by an officer. Witnesses directed police toward a potential suspect, according to reports.
The witness statement led police to Samuel Durant, 62, of Jersey City, who was standing nearby. A search of Durant produced a green colored utility knife that was allegedly in his possession, according to police. Durant was arrested and charged with possession of weapons (illegal knife).
At some point in the investigation, an officer remembered that a prior incident in which the victim in this incident was allegedly involved in stabbing another man. So police decided that the man previously stabbed by the victim could be a suspect. They conducted a citywide search.
The man in question, Thomas A. Kaufeler, 54, was arrested after police searched citywide and found him on Washington Street. He was in the company of another man, Donald Styles, 59, according to police. Both individuals were searched for weapons and police say they found Kaufeler allegedly in possession of a 7-inch screwdriver, and Styles allegedly in possession of a 7-inch paring knife and a 14-inch chef knife. Both men were arrested.
According to Lieutenant Mark Competello, Criminal Investigations Bureau Commander of the Hoboken Police Department, all three men have been charged with possession of weapons (illegal knives). No one has yet to be charged with the actual stabbing or aggravated assault at this point. The investigation into those charges is open and ongoing.
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